Page 341 - The Welfare of Cattle

318 the WeLfare of CattLe

It is worth noting that only one third of dairy producers provide their employees training on
management of nonambulatory cattle and just a fifth provide training on euthanasia procedures
(Adams et al., 2016b). The need for training is significant if animal well-being is a priority on dairy
operations. Training programs that equip caretakers with the skills to maximize the comfort and
the chances of recovery of downer animals, as well as the factors to take into account when con-
sidering and performing euthanasia show promise in increasing the knowledge of dairy employees
regarding welfare-related practices, including euthanasia procedures (Adams et al., 2016). Cultural
congruency is important when considering the occupational health and safety of livestock workers
(Menger et al., 2016b) and will impact how a multicultural population of livestock workers engages
in discussions of animal welfare and euthanasia procedures.
Besides written guidelines and appropriate training for caretakers, providing high-quality nurs-
ing care requires to allocate enough labor time to the management of downer animals. Job organi-
zation on livestock operations can be a challenge. Time pressures, lack of clarity regarding work
responsibility, and issues with work organization have been described by employees of large dairies
in the Western U.S. as stressors that may affect work performance (Menger et al., 2016a). If man-
agement cannot allocate enough time for employees to tend to downer cows, the caretaker will feel
rushed and provide suboptimal care. In addition to reducing the chances of recovery and affecting
animal well-being, rushing through the treatment of downer animals could potentially put the care-
taker at risk of injury.

WheN eUthaNaSIa IS NeeDeD

Euthanasia can be described as the humane termination of an animal’s life and it should be
performed in such a way that it minimizes or eliminates distress and suffering (Underwood et al.,
2013). Euthanasia should be considered in downers with a poor prognosis, when pain is evident
and uncontrollable, or when adequate nursing care cannot be provided. Although some researchers
argue that with excellent nursing care, the decision to euthanize can be delayed, under most situa-
tions, recumbency longer than 24 hours carries a poor prognosis and euthanasia should be consid-
ered at this time. All caretakers should focus on diagnosing, treating, and caring for the downer cow
in such a way that she can stand up and ambulate within 24 hours. If the best treatment and nursing
care is not successful in resolving the primary and secondary issues, then euthanasia should be seri-
ously considered to prevent animal welfare compromise.
In a recent survey, dairy producers reported that just about half of all downer cows were euth-
anized, with 59% of them being euthanized within 2 days of being identified as nonambulatory
(Adams et al., 2015a). The same producers indicated that 17.7% of downers died on the farm. With
euthanasia being a common outcome of nonambulatory cattle cases, it is imperative that people
performing this procedure are trained to do it effectively and safely. The American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA) provides guidelines for making a decision regarding euthanasia and
the considerations of employing various euthanasia methods in cattle (Underwood et al., 2013).
Herd veterinarians are a resource for farm personnel training on euthanasia procedures, in addi-
tion to the development of guidelines for making the decision to euthanize downers. A study by
Hoe and Ruegg (2006) revealed that veterinarians were consulted about euthanasia decisions on
dairies less than a third of the time. The same study exposed a severe need for training of personnel
as producers reported that untrained dairy personnel performed euthanasia 13% of the time, and
that gunshot was the most common method. These findings, in addition to the lack of nonambula-
tory cattle management and euthanasia training reported by Adams and colleagues (2015b), are of
concern as the efficacy of euthanasia by gunshot is dependent on the operator’s accuracy, and the
firearm and bullets chosen by the operator. Without appropriate training, dairy personnel could be
inflicting unnecessary suffering to the animal being euthanized and putting their own safety at risk.