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This means that the liver loses its qualities and is no longer saleable, so it determines the slaughtering times at which the breeder has the greatest chance of obtaining an optimal sized liver before the animal dies.
Other diseases
This illness is accompanied by a host of other diseases, as well
as the normal avian diseases that frequently break out on breeding
farms. The actual liver diseases, in addition to fatty liver disease,
include: perihepatitis (lesions related to inflammations), necrosis
(of various origins: infectious, toxic and circulatory), circulatory
complaints related to high hypertension (cardio or renal problems)
hepatic encephalopathy (cerclage movements, epleptiform crisis,
an increase in intra-cranial pressure leading to migraines, stupors,
comas and death), liver deficiency (various functional problems,
both associated and unrelated: anaemia, metabolic, circulatory
and secretory disorders giving rise to gastroenteritis, jaundice
etc.). These steatoncrosis lesions, which occur at the end of
the disease, are usually irreversible and condemn the animal to
death. “All of this proves that this is no normal process,
but a pathological process,” underlines veterinary doctor
Yvan Beck.
Various lesions
In addition to the attacks on the liver itself, there are many
complaints, which are often deathly: lesions induced by the practice
of force-feeding: neck ache (towards the top due to the excessively
brutal insertion of the tube), crop ache (lower, perforation of
the oesophagus during the passage of the tube, burns caused by
hot corn), asphyxiation when the corn accidentally falls into
the trachea, necrosis at the end of force-feeding, convulsive
attacks and rapid death due to hypoglycaemia attacks (often due
to an interruption in the food supply during force-feeding, on
Sunday, for example!), sudden deaths due to liver haemorrhaging
due to the effects of stress or abrupt movements. There are also
accidents due to poor holding conditions such as wounds to the
duck’s feet.
Secondary infections
Other illnesses are also a direct result of force-feeding because
changes in the manner and type of feeding exert a huge stress
on the organism. Secondary infections, called “ unknown
micro-organisms” are consequently the price to pay for boosting
productivity. These infections include: parasites (intestinal
verminoses), fungus and bacterial infections (enteritis, respiratory
illnesses, cholera). These diseases can be treated with various
medicines, which if dispensed shortly before slaughter, can leave
chemical residues.
By the end of the force-feeding process the animals have almost
doubled in weight, their mucous and skin have paled, their feathers
are stuck together by fat, they can hardly walk, their abdomen
is very heavy and their breathing is laboured because the air
sacks in their lungs are squashed, as geese do not have diaphragms.
Should force-feeding continue, the animals will lie down, exhausted
and suffocated, then die,” says veterinary doctor Castets.
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