Skin injuries identified in cattle and water buffaloes at livestock markets in Bangladesh

Abstract

Skin injuries were assessed in 560 imported and local cattle and water buffaloes at two livestock markets in Bangladesh. The body of each animal was divided into 11 anatomical regions, and abrasions, lacerations, penetrations, ulcerations, bleeding, swelling, hyperkeratosis and scars were recorded for each region. Among the 560 animals studied, 501 were found to have at least one injury. The prevalence of skin injuries was 89 per cent, with 84 per cent of the cattle and 99 per cent of the water buffaloes having obvious skin injuries. The most common types of injury were abrasions that were found in 73 per cent of the animals, followed by scars (50 per cent), and lacerations (41 per cent). Buffaloes had more abrasions (95 per cent), lacerations (57 per cent), swelling (15 per cent) and hyperkeratosis (32 per cent) compared with cattle, whereas scars (60 per cent) were more common in cattle (P<0.001). Within the 11 different anatomical regions, all types of injuries were present but in different proportions. The buttock region had a higher proportion of abrasions (36 per cent) followed by the hip, hindlimb and back regions. Penetration, ulceration, bleeding and swelling were present at lower frequencies in all regions. Causes for these injuries included rubbing against the inside wall of vehicles used for transportation and stock-handler abuse (59 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively). Buffaloes sustained more transport injuries than cattle, and the number of injuries was higher in imported than local animals.

Injuries of cattle and buffaloes during transportation and slaughter at Chittagong city corporation of Bangladesh

“…In case of cattle the frequencies of abrasion, laceration, bleeding and scar were higher and frequency of swelling was lower in the result of the present study than the result of Alam et al (2010a). In case of buffalo the frequency of the laceration and scar was higher but the frequencies of abrasion, bleeding and swelling in the present study were lower than the finding of Alam et al (2010a).…”

“…In case of buffalo the frequency of the laceration and scar was higher but the frequencies of abrasion, bleeding and swelling in the present study were lower than the finding of Alam et al (2010a). In this study the frequency of abrasion was highest in Haryana breed and lowest in exotic non-descriptive (ND) cattle breed among the breeds of cattle.…”

“…The other method is nose piercing frequently used in countries of Asia (Alam et al 2010b). Loading and unloading can be two of the most stressful stages during animal transportation (Kober 2011).…”

“…The animals are tied to the vehicles' sides to control their movement and ropes are secured at the neck, legs or nose. This condition leads to respiratory problems, discomfort, rubbing injuries, abrasion and laceration injuries from rubbing against the vehicle wall (Alam et al 2010a). Skin injuries can also be associated with the down grading of meat and loss of skin value (Minka and Ayo 2007).…”

Interacción Humano-Animal y Prácticas de Manejo Bovino en Subastas Colombianas

“…La conducción de los bovinos hacia los corrales por medio de grupos conformados por diferentes lotes, sexos y categorías productivas, generó un ambiente novedoso y poco familiar para los animales (Lensink et El tamaño y la conformación de grupos sociales diferentes pudo desencadenar el uso de interacciones táctiles por parte de los manejadores durante todas las conducciones observadas, así como la mayor presencia de respuestas agresivas y reversadas por parte de los bovinos (de Vries, 2011; IPCVA, 2012). Golpear al animal y los tratos abusivos como punzar y la torsión de cola, presentaron resultados concordantes con los reportados en Colombia (Cobo, 2013), Chile (de Vries, 2011) y Bangladesh (Alam et al, 2010). Las interacciones táctiles por parte de los manejadores, siempre constituyen experiencias negativas para los animales (Singer y Casal, 1999).…”