[The vegetarian appeal and killing animals. An ethical challenge]. / Der vegetarische Appell und die Tiertötung. Eine ethische Herausforderung.

The demand for renunciation of killing animals has already been discussed by mankind since ancient times. Many arguments for and against this demand have accumulated in the meantime. The reproaches of the vegetarians repeatedly forced the ones who eat meat to justify their diet. Today most of these historical justifications however have to be rejected because of lacking plausibility. Many of the vegetarian arguments on the other hand must be rejected for similar reasons as well. Remaining as morally convincing is the demand for doing the killing absolutely painless and without frightening the animals, which was already formulated for example by Kant and Schopenhauer. Arguments which consider this way of killing as still immoral belong in a broad sense to the "anthropocentric" animal ethics. They do not belong to what is called in Germany "pathocentric" animal ethics, because an animal that is killed without being frightened or tortured, has not suffered, for it hasn't consciously realized anything like danger or harm. We do even argue that these animals are not harmed at all, because it seems senseless to talk about harm without negative conscious phenomena. To push ahead a ban on animal slaughter for moral reasons could be itself morally wrong because it would disturb indirectly many people's conscious well-being without being justified by protecting an animal's conscious well-being. It is however possible to derive from a general duty not to make animals suffer (pathocentric animal ethics) a duty to boycott food of animal origin if these animals had to suffer during their lives.

[Fatal accident to a horse from a narrow transverse beam in the box door]. / Tödlicher Unfall eines Pferdes durch einen zu niedrigen Querbalken über der Boxentür.

It is reported on the fatal accident of a horse due to a cross-beam too low above the door of the stable, in which the animal suffered several skull fractures and a tear of the musculus longus capitis from the base of the skull. The aim of this article is, to supply a contribution to the establishment of minimal requirements for the housing of horses, in this case for the request of the minimum height of stable doors and ceilings as well as for constructions on horse transporters. On the grounds of this example, the natural behaviour of horses is discussed at the hand of the literature and the efforts are shown to improve the existing inadequacies in the housing and transport of horses with regard to the judicial situation. In the light of section 2 of the animal protection law, as to the construction of horse stables the importance is especially emphasized to consider the panic behaviour in connection with abrupt flight reactions as physiologic in the prevention of accidents.

[Possible applications of the biotest air microbe collector RCS Vet in swine housing]. / Anwendungsmöglichkeiten des Biotest-Luftkeimsammlers RCS Vet in Schweinestallungen.

A practical test of the Biotest centrifugal air sampler RCS Vet to assess the air quality for microbial levels in pig houses is presented. Estimating the number of microbial colony-forming units (staphylococcus) was only possible after modifying the sampler. Measurement of the total count of microbial-forming units was only possible under controlled conditions because of the high level of organisms in the pig house air. The use of selective media to measure microbial levels in air is described.

[Morphologic changes in the intestine of swine after infection with verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli]. / Morphologische Veränderungen am Darm von Schweinen nach Infektion mit verotoxinbildenden Escherichia coli.

Spontaneous morphologic lesions are described in 12 of 66 pigs submitted for necropsy. All 12 pigs were culture positive for Verotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC). 10 of them were weaned pigs, one a suckling piglet and one a fattening hog. In 6 cases E. coli serovar 0139:H1 and in one case each the serovars 0139:H40; 0138:H-; 0125ac:H27 and 0154:H- were isolated. From the fecal samples of 2 animals E. coli ONT (O-group non typable):H- were cultured. Macroscopically there were cyanosis, edema of the eye lids, catarrhal enteritis and/or colitis as well as edema of the mesentery, swelling of the mesenteric lymph nodes and congestion of the lung to varying degrees. Histopathologic examination of 5 animals was carried out. In 3 animals atrophy and edema of the villi in the jejunum and ileum were discovered. In one animal an additional infection with corona virus was confirmed electron microscopically. Furthermore there was disseminated necrosis of lymphocytes in Peyer's patches of the small intestine and in secondary follicles of the mesenteric lymph nodes. In one of the animals a hemorrhagic-necrotising ileitis, occurred characterized by necrosis of villi and thrombosis of blood vessels in the mucosa. The highest number of VTEC with seven out of twelve animals was found in weaned pigs in association with the E. coli serovar 0139.

[The least requirements for the rotation of swine for slaughter from loading to transport to resting time until stunning from the viewpoint of animal protection and meat quality]. / Mindestanforderungen an den Umgang mit Schlachtschweinen von der Verladung-Transport-Ausruhzeit bis zur Betäubung aus der Sicht des Tierschutzes und der Fleischqualität.

1. According to the loading density there is a significant increase of the physical burden (strain) during a transport of pigs to the slaughterhouse. Keeping up minimal requirements (kgs pigs/sqm) the stress reaction decreases and the meat quality becomes better. 2. Each transport produces excitement which can be shown in higher respiratory and heart frequencies. The slaughtering of excited animals shows a higher percentage of carcasses with bad meat quality. Waiting times from at least 2 hours up to a maximum of 4 hours shows that the percentage of carcasses with a better meat quality increases. 3. Handling of animals at the slaughterhouse prior to stunning by dividing the number of pigs into small groups of at least 9 animals is very important especially because it reduces the excitement of the pigs prior to stunning. The stunning results are getting better. Mistakes in handling pigs prior to stunning especially in guiding them to the stunning place usually destroy all positive efforts for optimal transparent conditions and keeping up waiting times after transport. 4. The last step ahead to the stunning equipment. No good solution does exist which makes the pigs willingly do this last step and enter the place where the stunning is performed. This results in the CO2 stunning system itself as well as in the automatic electrical stunning equipment using a restrainer. 5. Stunning with CO2.

[Animal welfare and disease control regulations for killing cattle, swine and sheep with the help of a transportable electric stunning facility (SCHERMER, type EC)]. / Tierschutz- und tierseuchengerechtes Töten von Rindern, Schweinen und Schafen mit Hilfe einer transportablen Elektro-Anlage zur Schlachttierbetäubung (SCHERMER, Typ EC).

Stamping-out of animals in case of infections diseases has to meet the requirements resulting from animal welfare, disease prevention, and practicability under conditions in practice. This is well qualified by application of electrical shock stunning with subsequent generation of ventricular fibrillation in cattle, swine and sheep. The scientific elements of the method, the procedure, and experiences in application of the method during the stamping-out of 340 cattle, 980 swine, 152 sheep and 18 goats are discussed in the paper.

[Experiences with vaccination against Haemophilus pleuropneumonia of swine]. / Erfahrungen mit der Vakzination gegen die Haemophilus-Pleuropneumonie der Schweine.

In a Haemophilus pleuropneumonia problem herd with piglet production and fattening, sows and weaned pigs were vaccinated with a Danish vaccine (Pleurinord). Due to consequent vaccination of the sows the health of the piglets could be improved decisively, resulting in an increased number of raised piglets per sow and year from 16.8 to 20.3. In the vaccinated fattening pigs compared to the unvaccinated ones the following effects were observed: markedly reduced expenses for medication and a markedly reduced frequency of characteristic lesions in the respiratory tract; the improvement of the daily weight gains and the reduction of losses remained behind the expectations. Decisive causes for this were respiratory and enteric diseases unrelated to Haemophilus, which were favoured by serious mismanagement and inadequacies in the feeding regimen and barn climate. On the example of the vaccinated herd it is shown how important the analysis of a multifactorial disease situation is, in order to be able to objectify better or at all the influence of a vaccination program under field conditions. Within a concept of prevention and control of Haemophilus pleuropneumonia the vaccination is a helpful part.

[Experimental erysipelas in different species as a model for systemic connective tissue disease. I. Systemic vascular processes during organ manifestation (author's transl)]. / Experimenteller Rotlauf bei verschiedenen Spezies als Modell einer systemischen Bindegewebskrankheit. I. Systemische vaskuläre prozesse bei der Organmanifestation

INTRODUCTION: The similarities between erysipelas in animals and rheumatic diseases in man have been discussed since the work of Nieberle (1931). The present work sets out to investigate the course of organ manifestations in pigs, rats, and mice using germ-free or specific pathogen-free experimental animals. Particular consideration will be given to the initial systemic vascular processes as well as to the significance of the erysipelas antigen. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In several experiments, a total of 166 pigs--partly gnotobiotic or specific pathogen-free animals--37 specific pathogen free Wistar rats and 57 albino mice were orally and/or parenterally infected with standardized erysipelas strains of serotype B. Clinical examination post infection were carried out with the EKG and by x-raying the joints of the extremities. All large parenchymatous organs, as well as heart valves, aorta and synovia were examined histologically in paraffin sections. In mice and rats, joints of the extremities were embedded in toto in metracrylate. Besides various histological staining methods, histochemical reactions were used to demonstrate mucopolysaccharides and fibrin. The myocardium, central nervous system and synovia of several joints were examined with the electron microscope. In the pig, immunohistological methods demonstrating the presence of fibrin, complement and IgG, as described by Seidler et al. (1971) and Trautwein et al. (1972), were used. RESULTS: The most important changes in joints, heart valves heart musculature and blood vessels occur during the early bacteriemic phase. A distinct sticking effect develops in the mouse 3.5 hours p.i., in the rat 24 hours p.i., and in the pig 36 hours p.i. Simultaneously, hyaline thrombi occur in capillaries and venules; these are seen as parallel, loosely-packed fibrin fibers in the electron microscope. With the aid of immunofluorescence fibrin, IgG and complement C3 can also be demonstrated here. Exudates rich in fibrin develop parallel to the microthrombosis. In pigs and rats vascular and myocardial necroses develop to 3 days p.i. The mice do not survive the 3rd p.i. 39% of the pigs showed edema and mesenchymal activation of varying intensity in the heart valves between the 3rd and 8th day p.i. Besides the insudation of the valves, endocardial thromboses developed in 80% of the mice. Endocarditis, aand in addition large aortic thromboses were recognized in more than 50% of the rats. As early as the 4th day p.i., coagulopathy, angionecrosis and exudation led to acute arthritic symptoms..