Brain damage in pigs produced by impact with a non-penetrating captive bolt pistol

To assess the effect of impact with a nonpenetrating captive bolt pistol in pigs by studying the resulting traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to compare the pathological changes with those found previously in the brains of sheep using a similar experimental paradigm.

The unrestrained heads of six, anaesthetised, 7- to 8-week-old, Large White pigs were impacted in the temporal region with a nonpenetrating captive bolt pistol. Four hours postimpact, brains were perfusion-fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde. Coronal sections from six levels along the brain were cut and stained with haematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemically for amyloid precursor protein, a sensitive marker of axonal injury (AI) in the brain after trauma.

TBI in pigs was characterised only by very mild AI, whereas AI in sheep after captive bolt impact to the same head region was much more severe and widely distributed and often associated with vascular damage such as contusions, subarachnoid and intraparenchymal haemorrhage.

TBI in pigs was much less severe than in sheep after non-penetrating mechanical impact of similar magnitude, confirming the importance of interspecies differences in determining an appropriate physical method of euthanasia.