◾  Procedures or technique of ante-mortem inspection

1.  Owner’s name.

2.  The number of animals in the lot and arrival time.

3.  Definition of the animal species, age, sex.

4.  Clinical signs (temperature, pulse, and mucous membrane).

5.  Pregnancy diagnosis.

6.  General condition of the animal (clean, dirty, fatigue).

7.  Nutritive state (poor, emaciated).

◾ Some of the abnormalities that are checked during ante-mortem inspection:

1.  Abnormalities in respiration: If the breathing pattern is different from the normal animal should be segregated as a suspect.

2. Abnormalities in behavior: It is manifested by walking in circles or showing an abnormal gait or posture, pushing its head against a wall, acting aggressively, and showing a dull and anxious expression in the eyes.

3.  Abnormalities in gait: An abnormal gait in an animal is associated with pain in the legs, chest or abdomen or is an indication of nervous disease.

4.  Abnormalities in posture: abnormal posture in an animal is observed as tucked up abdomen or the animal may stand with an extended head and stretched out feet.

5.  Abnormalities in confirmation are manifested by swellings, enlarged joints, umbilical swelling, enlarged sensitive udder, enlarged jaw and bloated abdomen.

6.  Abnormal discharges or protrusions

7. Abnormal colours such as red areas on light coloured skin (inflammation), dark blue areas on the skin or udder (gangrene).

8.  Abnormal odours are difficult to be detected on routine ante-mortem inspection.

◾ Decisions of Ante-mortem Inspection

1.     Approved for normal slaughter: Ante-mortem inspection has revealed no evidence of any abnormal condition or disease and the animal is adequately rested.

2.     Animal should not enter the plant: Animal show evidence of septicemia or other conditions, which on post-mortem requires total condemnation and animal disease that represents a hazard for meat handlers.

3.     Slaughter under special precautions: If at ante-mortem inspection, the animals diseased, which at post-mortem, require condemnation.

4.     Delayed slaughter: If the animal is affected by condition, which temporally limits its fitness for human consumption.

5.     Emergency slaughter: The animal suffers from acute pain.

◾ Importance or significance of ante-mortem inspection

1.  To safeguard the health of consumer as there are certain diseases not intended with gross lesions in the carcass, although they are harmful.

2.  Facilitates post-mortem examination and direct attention of inspector to part or organ to be examined.

3.  Prevent infection of butcher with contagious diseases.

4.  Immediate detection and isolation of animals affected with notifiable disease.

5.  Detection of diseases which cannot be detected in post-mortem.

6.  Detection and separation of diseased animals.

7.  Detection of emergency slaughtered animals.

◾ Diseases and conditions encountered at ante-mortem inspection:

1. Cattle: Actinomycosis, actionbacillosis, emaciation, black leg, tumors, listeriosis, ringworm, pseudorabies, mange, metritis, mastitis, retained placenta, milk fever.

2. Calves: Immaturity, arthritis, calf diphtheria, ringworm, cowpox, white scour, and salmonellosis.

3. Sheep: Emaciation, sheep scab, tetanus, FMD, caseous lymphadenitis, scrapie, and pneumonia.

4. Swine: Atrophic rhinitis, gut edema, rabies, pseudo-rabies, actinomycosis of udder, hernia, tumors, swine fever, swine erysipelas, and tail necrosis & abscess formation.