2,561. An Animal That Was Scared

Hilchos Shechita 8:9

Let’s say that an animal got so scared that its lung collapsed and was close to drying out. If it got scared through natural means, such as from thunder or lightning, it remains permitted. If it got scared because of something a person did, like slaughtering another animal in front of it, it’s considered deficient and is a treifa.

Hilchos Shechita 8:10

We inspect an animal’s lung by putting it in water for a whole day; in the winter, we put it in lukewarm water, in a container that won’t make the water condense and flow, which would make the water turn cold too quickly. In hot weather, we put it in cold water in a container that will make the water condense, in order to help the water to stay cold. If the lung reverts to its expected condition, the animal was scared by a natural event and it is permitted; if the lung doesn’t revert, the animal was scared by something a person did and is a treifa.