The threshold foreven one animal can change over time. Research was concerned with thedetermination of the lower threshold for a livestock population. The pathway for current through an animal with the leastresistance is from the mouth to all hooves. Due to this pathway beingthe most sensitive for the animal, much of the research has focused oncurrent or voltages at feeders and waterers. This is especially true forlong term studies.
Perception involves an animal'sinitial awareness of current.
Animals cannot tell us when they firstperceive current, therefore, researchers can only look for initialchanges in normal behavior. Behavior change will normally involve some type ofavoidance by the animal. When exposed to the electrical current, ananimal may position or move itself so that it is no longer a part of theelectrical circuit. All of these changes can also beassociated with normal behavior, making the interpretation of behaviordifficult at times. A production loss occurs if water or feed consumption isreduced for a sustained period of time.