STUDIES ON FLY STRIKE IN MERINO SHEEP. No. 8. A Surgical Operation for the Control of Tail Strike.*

Knowledge and attitudes are important factors in farmers’ choice of lamb tail docking length

“…More participants in the short tail group expressed their beliefs that docking at this length would prevent dag formation and therefore flystrike (figure 3). This belief has been previously reported by farmers in New Zealand2 and is important, considering previous research has found increased risk of flystrike in sheep with short tails 4 5 14 15. Similarly, New Zealand farmers who docked lambs’ tails short were more likely to identify tradition as driving their current choice of tail docking length 2.…”

“…Most tail length studies since 1930 recommended docking tails equivalent to the length of the vulva (ETV), which approximately corresponds to leaving three palpable joints of the tail 4 . Findings indicated that this length was optimal to prevent flystrike, 4 5 improve rate of healing, 6 7 maintain rectococcygeal muscle integrity, 6 8 and reduce the risk of prolapses, 9 10 cancer 11 12 and bacterial arthritis 13 . Although some studies recommended docking tails longer than the bare area or to leave approximately four joints of the tail, 14 15 other studies reported that tails of this length or longer decreased the ease and efficiency of shearing and crutching 16–18 .…”

Wound healing after mulesing and other options for controlling breech flystrike in Merino lambs: observations on gross and microscopic wound healing

“…Larger scale field trials are necessary to determine the effectiveness of the intradermal‐cetrimide treatment for preventing flystrike, although from the current small pen‐trials, it may be that the degree of tightening of skin wrinkles, particularly around the tail and upper breech, will be inadequate. Tail strike is a major contributor to breech strike 8,28 and any mulesing alternative that is being considered will need to be effective in reducing both the tail folds and wool growth in the path of urine and faecal streams.…”

“…27 Larger scale field trials are necessary to determine the effectiveness of the intradermal-cetrimide treatment for preventing flystrike, although from the current small pen-trials, it may be that the degree of tightening of skin wrinkles, particularly around the tail and upper breech, will be inadequate. Tail strike is a major contributor to breech strike 8,28 and any mulesing alternative that is being considered will need to be Microscopically, the most striking feature post intradermal-cetrimide treatment was the development of areas of coagulative necrosis, oedema, congestion and surrounding inflammation. The chemical often extended into the underlying muscle, causing necrosis (and a concurrent rise in serum creatine kinase; data not shown) in some sheep ( Figure 8B).…”