Abstract

Background: Skin innervation in ruminants has received less attention than other animal skins. The objective was to compare the tissue layers of the skin and detect the expression of nociceptive nerve endings and axons within the neck region of these animals. Methods: Sections of neck (cervical) region of three domestic ruminants involved sheep, goat and bull slaughtered at Kerkuk Slaughter House were studied for both histological, using routine stain, hematoxylene and eosin (H&E) and immune- histochemically using substance-P primary antibody. Results: No conspicuous fundamental differences in the skin layers between these three animals do exist except the bull skin was much thicker than that of sheep and goat, respectively; while more adipose tissue was deposited in sheep in comparison with goat and bull with abundant loose hypodermis in all. Immunohistochemical examinations showed scanty expression of substance-P nerve endings in the epidermis and nerve fibers in the submucosa and hypodermis of all three animals except a few at hair follicles were detectable. Conclusion: The neck skin is charcterised either scanty nerve endings and fibers supplied or run perpendicular to skin surface which could be advantageous for such commercially used meat productive animals to minimize pain during the Islamic manner of slaughtering used to eliminate pain during slaughtering in comparison with other painful methods used in Western society