Fistulaed Cows

Okay, I want to talk a little bit about the ethics of animal research. When most people hear "animal research," they probably think of lab animals like mice and rats. What I want to focus on, though, is livestock, particularly fistulated cows. We have one on campus, and if you've ever heard about a "cow with a hole in it" or something like that, it's probably Lucy.

Lindsay with Lucy

Scientists can insert a cannula (below- that green stuff is semi-digested grass) into the side or stomach of an animal, creating a passage that allows access to various internal organs (in Lucy's case, her rumen). Lucy is used in animal sciences lab classes to teach students about ruminant digestion. Students can stick hands (or entire arms, actually) into Lucy's rumen and feel the micropapillae that help her digest her food. If you have long enough arms, you can actually reach all the way into other compartments of her stomach and feel how the structure of the stomach wall changes depending on that compartment's function in the digestive system. It's pretty cool (and extremely weird).

This is one kind of animal research that I'm totally okay with. The only time Lucy suffered because of the fistula was during to the initial surgery to install the cannula. That was done with plenty of anesthetics, of course, but surgery is never going to be completely stress-free. Lucy doesn't feel a thing when the cannula is opened or when people put their hands in. The rumen is a really tough environment: highly acidic (it's basically a big fermentation vat) and huge (it holds hundreds of pounds of food at a time), so she isn't bothered by the temporary addition of someone's hand or arm. Meanwhile, students have a great, hands-on, highly memorable way to learn about ruminant anatomy without having to use dead animals for dissection. Overall, I'd definitely say this is a win-win situation.