Evaluation of horn bud wound healing following cautery disbudding of preweaned dairy calves treated with aluminum-based aerosol bandage

Huebner, K. L.; A, Kunkel; McConnel, Craig S.; Callan, Robert J.; Dinsmore, R. P.; Caixeta, Luciano

doi:10.3168/jds.2016-12192

Cited by 17 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…However, until the polled trait becomes widespread, strategies to mitigate pain associated with disbudding are needed to improve calf welfare. To our knowledge, only one study has evaluated strategies to improve healing; Huebner et al (2017) found that a topical aluminum-based aerosol bandage reduced healing complications during a 3-wk period after disbudding. Caustic paste disbudding has been suggested as an alternative to hot-iron disbudding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of disbudding age on healing and pain sensitivity in dairy calves

Adcock

Tucker

2018

Journal of Dairy Science

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Hot-iron disbudding, a husbandry procedure performed in dairy calves in which horn bud growth is prevented through tissue cauterization, produces severe burns. Little is known about how long pain persists following disbudding or factors, such as age at the time of disbudding, that may influence animal welfare outcomes. Our objectives were (1) to evaluate whether disbudding age mediates healing, pain sensitivity, and weight gain in calves disbudded near birth (3 d) compared with at a later age (35 d); and (2) to examine how long wounds are sensitive during healing. Forty-eight calves were disbudded or sham-disbudded at 3 or 35 d of age (n = 12/treatment). We assessed pain sensitivity with a pressure algometer on d 3 and 7 after disbudding and then weekly thereafter until the wound had re-epithelialized. Sensitivity was measured at the lateral and caudal edges of each wound, as well as on the rump to test for systemic changes in sensory function. We evaluated healing by scoring the presence of 7 tissue types in the wound bed: attached necrotic tissue, detached necrotic tissue, burns outside the necrotic ring, exudate, granulation, crust, and epithelium. Tissue scores, surface temperature, and girth circumference as an estimate of weight gain were measured twice weekly until the wound had re-epithelialized. Disbudded tissue was more sensitive than nondisbudded tissue for at least 3 wk, after which time the sham calves were removed from the study to be disbudded. Wounds took 62 ± 10 d (mean ± SD) to re-epithelialize and were more painful than new epithelium throughout this time, regardless of whether the procedure occurred at 3 or 35 d of age. The surface temperature of disbudding wounds did not differ from that of non-disbudded tissue nor did disbudding affect weight gain at either age. Age at the time of disbudding did not affect latency to re-epithelialize or wound sensitivity. However, rump sensitivity was greater in calves disbudded at 3 versus 35 d of age on d 28, 42, and 56 after disbudding, in agreement with other studies showing increased pain sensitivity when painful procedures are performed at an early age. In conclusion, wounds remain painful throughout healing, raising animal welfare concerns about hot-iron disbudding. Performing the procedure near birth does not improve welfare outcomes; rather, some evidence suggests it may produce a generalized long-term increase in pain sensitivity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of disbudding age on healing and pain sensitivity in dairy calves

Adcock

Tucker

2018

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…Among the different types of welfare indicators, clinical indicators may be highly relevant for the concern of health and productivity. Paradoxically, in the days and weeks after removal of horns in calves, very little is known about changes in classical clinical measures, such as for instance healing of the lesions ( 68 ). In order to fully understand the welfare effects of hot-iron disbudding in calves and the combined use of local anesthetics and NSAIDs, future studies should include clinical aspects such as healing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only very few studies have sought to quantify the clinical changes induced by procedures of horn removal or to quantify healing of the induced lesions. Huebner et al ( 68 ) started systematic focus on the healing of the lesions induced by hot-iron disbudding. AVMA ( 69 ) described, without direct evidence, that hot-iron disbudding is advantageous as it leads to less bleeding and fewer complications during healing than removal of horns by other procedures such as chemical or surgical disbudding.…”

Section: Consequences Of Disbudding For Calf Welfare—effects Of Pain mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…AVMA ( 69 ) described, without direct evidence, that hot-iron disbudding is advantageous as it leads to less bleeding and fewer complications during healing than removal of horns by other procedures such as chemical or surgical disbudding. Huebner et al ( 68 ) scored lesions (scale from 1 to 3) and wound diameter during 3 weeks post-disbudding. All calves in the study still scored 1 in the third week, hence the lesions were not healed.…”

Section: Consequences Of Disbudding For Calf Welfare—effects Of Pain mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Welfare Effects of the Use of a Combination of Local Anesthesia and NSAID for Disbudding Analgesia in Dairy Calves—Reviewed Across Different Welfare Concerns

Herskin

Nielsen

2018

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Across the international dairy industry, the vast majority of dairy herds have dehorned cows. Farmers choose to dehorn calves for different reasons such as easier handling of non-horned cattle and reduced risk of injuries in animals and staff. This review focuses on disbudding by use of hot-iron cautery as is practiced by dairy farmers in calves <3 months of age. We examine welfare effects of the use of NSAIDs in combination with a local anesthetic including indicators relevant for the three major welfare concerns—affective states, basic health, and functioning as well as the possibility to behave naturally. Across indicators of animal welfare, the majority of available evidence suggest that the use of NSAIDs in combination with a local anesthetic is advantageous in terms of animal welfare, and no studies suggest that NSAIDs are a disadvantage to animal welfare. However, irrespective of the welfare concern, use of NSAIDs combined with a local anesthetic does not fully eliminate the welfare challenges from disbudding. Further research is needed in order to fully understand the effects of this medication protocol on calf welfare, including knowledge about the duration of healing and the presence of long-term pain. At present, this lack of knowledge challenges the precise formulation of adequate pain management—in terms of medication protocol, duration, dosage, and type of administration.

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“…By removing the horn bud, it is easier to ensure that all of the horn bud tissue is destroyed. It is generally considered more efficacious to remove the horn buds than leaving them on [1] and this method has been favoured in other studies [7,24,25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effectiveness of clove oil and cautery disbudding methods on preventing horn growth in dairy goat kids

Stewart²,

Cave

et al. 2018

Preprint

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The effectiveness of clove oil and cautery disbudding on horn growth was evaluated in goat kids. The study used 243 Saanen doe kids (4±1.0 days old; mean ± SD) on two commercial dairy goat farms, and were disbudded with either (i) clove oil injection (CLOVE), (ii) a cautery iron and bud removed (BUDOFF), or (iii) a cautery iron with bud left intact (BUDON). Each kid received a different treatment per bud, which were balanced between buds (left and right) and randomly allocated. A trained observer monitored bud growth following treatment for 3 months recording either: N: no growth, H: normal horn, S: abnormal horn (scur), or SC: soft, fibrous lump (scorn). After the final observation, buds were assessed for the probability of detecting (i) success (no growth), (ii) scurs, (iii) horns or (iv) scorns [with 95% CI]. The probability of success for BUDOFF (0.77 [0.63, 0.87]) was higher than for BUDON (0.20 [0.11, 0.34]) and CLOVE (0.09 [0.04, 0.18]; P ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, the probability of success for BUDON was higher than for CLOVE (P ≤ 0.05). The probability of scurs was higher for CLOVE (0.72 [0.63, 0.80]) than BUDOFF (0.25 [0.17, 0.34]) and BUDON (0.30 [0.21, 0.39]; P ≤ 0.05). There was no difference in the probability of scurs for BUDOFF and BUDON (P > 0.05). The probability of horns was higher for CLOVE (0.21 [0.15, 0.29]) than BUDON (0.02 [0.01, 0.06]; P ≤ 0.05); horns were not observed for BUDOFF. The probability of scorns for BUDON, the only treatment that led to scorns, was 0.41 (0.25, 0.60). These results suggest that BUDOFF was more effective at preventing growth than CLOVE and BUDON and appears the most effective method, of the methods tested, for disbudding kids. Future research should explore different clove oil administration methods or other alternatives to cautery disbudding that may be both efficacious and cause less pain.

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Evaluation of horn bud wound healing following cautery disbudding of preweaned dairy calves treated with aluminum-based aerosol bandage

Cited by 17 publications

References 16 publications

The effect of disbudding age on healing and pain sensitivity in dairy calves

The effect of disbudding age on healing and pain sensitivity in dairy calves

Welfare Effects of the Use of a Combination of Local Anesthesia and NSAID for Disbudding Analgesia in Dairy Calves—Reviewed Across Different Welfare Concerns

The effectiveness of clove oil and cautery disbudding methods on preventing horn growth in dairy goat kids

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