Chapman R E, Fell L R, Shutt D A
Division of Animal Production, CSIRO, Blacktown, New South Wales.
Aust Vet J. 1994 Aug;71(8):243-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1994.tb03420.x.
A comparison has been made in 9- to 10-month-old castrated male Merino sheep of the changes in plasma total cortisol concentration and behaviour after being treated by either the modified Mules operation or by topical application of a quaternary ammonium compound to achieve non-surgical mulesing. After surgical mulesing, plasma total cortisol concentration increased immediately and rapidly and reached a peak value in 15 minutes, whereas after non-surgical treatment an immediate rise did not occur, but a similar peak value was observed in blood samples collected 24 hours after treatment. The concentrations were lower in both groups at 48 hours. Likewise postural changes indicative of discomfort were immediately apparent in the surgically treated sheep, but not until 3 to 4 hours later in those treated non-surgically. Arena testing revealed that a lasting aversion to the person who restrained them during treatment developed in the surgically mulesed sheep, but not in those treated non-surgically. The non-surgical procedure did not create large open wounds, as did the surgical operation, but still achieved similar enlargement of the bare area on the breech, and healing was quicker in the non-surgically treated sheep.
对9至10个月大的去势雄性美利奴绵羊进行了比较，观察其在接受改良穆尔斯手术或局部应用季铵化合物以实现非手术去势后血浆总皮质醇浓度的变化及行为表现。手术去势后，血浆总皮质醇浓度立即迅速升高，并在15分钟内达到峰值，而在非手术治疗后，并未立即出现升高，但在治疗后24小时采集的血样中观察到了类似的峰值。两组在48小时时的浓度均较低。同样，表明不适的姿势变化在手术治疗的绵羊中立即显现，但在非手术治疗的绵羊中直到3至4小时后才出现。竞技场测试显示，接受手术去势的绵羊对治疗期间约束它们的人产生了持久的厌恶，但非手术治疗的绵羊没有。非手术方法没有像手术那样造成大的开放性伤口，但仍使臀部光秃区域得到了类似的扩大，并且非手术治疗的绵羊愈合更快。
