Reduction of the olfactory cognitive ability in horses during preslaughter: stress-related hormones evaluation

Abstract

As horses may perceive several odour signals of danger at slaughter, application of mentholated ointment to their nostrils may limit their perception of danger. To assess the effect of the application of a mentholated ointment to horse nostrils on the stress response during pre-slaughter handling, plasma levels were evaluated for cortisol, beta-endorphin, epinephrine and norepinephrine prior to and after stunning. Twenty draught-type horses were divided into control (n=10) and treated (n=10) groups and a mentholated ointment applied to the nostrils of the treated horses following blood sampling in lairage 45 min prior to slaughter. Treatment did not affect plasma concentrations of beta-endorphin or cortisol but significantly reduced the concentrations of epinephrine and norepinephrine observed in post-stun plasma. These results indicated that mentholated ointment applied to the nostrils of horses pre-slaughter reduced their adrenergic response to the slaughter environment, implying that the stress response may be reduced with this technology.