THE fistulation is a world-renowned technique that is constantly being criticized by defenders of the animal rights, which frequently launch petitions to end this technique in research agricultural.
The technique consists of leaving part of the digestive system of an animal exposed, usually cattle and sheep, through openings made in the skin to the organ that one wishes to observe. After opening the place, a tube is placed so that the opening is sealed and it is possible to have access to the digestive system. Postoperatively, it is important to use antibiotics and cleaning should be done daily to avoid any infection. It is noteworthy that this procedure is performed using anesthesia, without causing pain to the animal.
This technique is used for experiments where you want to observe the functioning of the digestive system of these animals and obtain ruminal fluid. EMBRAPA carries out several experiments with fistulated animals and highlights that, in addition to studies of physiology and metabolism, fistulated animals are used in research for development of strategies to mitigate enteric methane and obtain samples for the study of rumen microorganisms that may play a role in obtaining enzymes for production of ethanol. Therefore, they are important studies for agricultural development.
Furthermore, the study of the behavior of the digestive system allows an animal's diet to be adjusted and stressful situations to be noticed. From there, you can improve your productivity and reproduction.
There is usually no physiological variation in the animal. However, some complications have been reported due to fistulation. Among the complications, leakage of the contents of the rumen can be highlighted, leading, consequently, to dehydration and malnutrition in the fistulated animal.
by Vanessa dos Santos
Graduated in Biology
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biologia/animais-fistulados.htm