Page 186 - The Welfare of Cattle

PaIn MItIGatIon In CattLe 163

cleanliness has not been fully supported by the literature, as two papers demonstrated no benefit to
udder hygiene or udder health in cows with docked tails. 63,64 Furthermore, a national survey of 491
United States dairy farms revealed hygiene was actually better on farms that did not dock tails when
compared to farms that practiced tail docking, indicating environmental management plays a more
important role than tail docking for cow hygiene. 65
Tail docking also carries with it a strong negative perception by the general public. This is
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highlighted by the National Milk Producers Federation, the AVMA and the AABP publically stat-
ing they do not support the practice. The National Milk Producers Federation’s Farmers Assuring
Responsible Management (FARM) program mandates cessation of routine tail docking as of
January 1, 2017. To further support this mandate, milk processors have also mandated a no tail
docking standard as part of agreements to purchase milk from producers.
However, there are circumstances in which tail docking is necessitated. These circumstances
are limited to injuries of the tail due to trauma. In confined beef cattle, housed on slatted floors, tail
injuries are common and tail docking is performed for therapeutic purposes. However, the use of a
lidocaine epidural and injection of flunixin meglumine did not provide adequate analgesia to cattle
undergoing tail docking compared to untreated controls undergoing the same procedure. 67

INVaSIVe SUrGerIeS

In cattle production, there is often a need to perform invasive surgeries. Furthermore, these
surgeries are not typically elective in nature but rather a result of serious medical conditions that
need correction. Cesarean sections and laparotomies (for correction of displaced abomasum) are
common surgical procedures performed in cattle. These surgeries are often performed without
general anesthesia, but with only local anesthesia with a provision of sedation in certain cases.
However, a survey of practitioners revealed 99% give analgesia to cattle undergoing Cesarean
sections. 68
Lidocaine is the typical local anesthetic used. There are numerous methods to achieve anesthe-
sia of the surgical site. These methods are practitioner and case-dependent and reach beyond the
scope of this chapter. However, the application of local anesthetic is important for the welfare of the
patient. It is also for the safety for the practitioner performing the procedure, as kicking is the first
response to inappropriate or insufficient anesthesia.
Controlled clinical studies and experimental models investigating the use of analgesics in cattle
following surgeries are sparse. Ketoprofen has been studied in a clinical trial following left dis-
placement of the abomasum and was given at the time of surgery and the following day. Cattle
receiving ketoprofen had no differences in heart rate, respiratory rate, β-hydroxybuterate, and milk
production, between cattle receiving ketoprofen or saline. 69

LaMeNeSS

Lameness is a highly prevalent disease in dairy herds, with prevalence reported as high as
33.7%. However, reported lameness prevalence as reported by owners is about 10%. 70–72 In the beef
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cattle sector, lameness is a common reason for cows and bulls to leave the herd. A survey of cows
and bulls arriving at slaughter facilities indicated that 26.6% and 36.3% of beef cows and bulls,
respectively, were evaluated to be lame on inspection. This same survey had dairy cow lameness at
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39.2% of dairy cows arriving to slaughter facilities as being lame. It should be noted that lameness
is usually underreported by producers compared with independent observers potentially due to a
decreased sensitivity in detecting lame cattle. 75,76 There are economic and production losses that are
associate with lameness as well as the obvious pain and distress. The evaluation and prevalence of
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