Animal Care Science Presentations
Tail docking, pain assessment, pharmacological and industry tools discussed in Nashville.
Animal welfare research was presented regarding tail docking, pain assessment and pharmacological tools to the Cattle Health and Well-being Committee at the 2012 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville, Tenn.
Dan Grooms, from the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, shared research evaluating whether there were any performance benefits to tail docking cattle housed on slatted floors. He said slatted flooring is prevalent in the upper Midwest and Ontario, and 30% of Michigan slatted-floor feedlots dock tails. Reasons for tail docking included the prevention of ascending infections, bacteremia (presence of bacteria in the blood) and polyarthritis in dairy cows.
Looking at performance traits and fly count of a group of calves, half of which had tails docked (surgically docked by the research team, using anesthetics) and half of which didn't, he explained that there were no significant differences in average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency or other performance traits. Fly counts were higher on docked calves, though there were more instances of necrosis and open wounds found among the non-docked calves. Another study with younger calves found the same results.
Grooms said the research team is currently researching behavior differences.
Which is worse, docking tails or injuries to undocked tails? Grooms suggested future research to find better ways to manage the feedlot calves, possibly including housing, early identification of injuries and tail switch management.
Grant Dewell, beef extension veterinarian at Iowa State University, presented research on pain assessment and management, particularly in dehorning and castration. Only one in five veterinarians provides some form of anesthesia, and 15 million calves are castrated in the United States annually. No drugs are approved for pain management, though the NCBA and American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) encourage using anesthetics.
Because beef cattle are a stoic and prey species, they do not show pain readily, Dewell said, noting a challenge to assessing pain levels. No one pain assessment method rose to the top as most effective, though behavior, plasma cortisol, substance P, accelerometers, thermography, chute exit speeds, heart rate determination, electrodermal activity, pressure mats, algometers and electroencephalography (EEGs) were tested. Several had potential though, with further research.
Pain management tools were similarly ambiguous. The difficulty in determining acute vs. chronic pain makes it difficult to treat. Dewell mentioned that melixicam worked marginally. It did show long-term relief and helped with bovine respiratory disease (BRD), too. He asserted that this study shows there is need for more research in pain assessment and management. The research is relevant, he added, because
- it is the right thing to do;
- it has potential to increase growth and performance;
- it has potential to return cattle to feed sooner;
- it offers the potential of reduced incidence of BRD; and
- it offers the industry an opportunity to get ahead of future welfare legislation.
Dan Thomson of Kansas State University said that the industry can't sit around and wait for legislation to be made. He said standard operating procedures (SOPs) and training in animal welfare need to be documented, giving the example that operations with written SOPs that have been called into question by animal rights groups rarely get any follow up by the groups. He also said that the industry needs to use outcome assessment to change processes and define a "normal."
Thomson said there are many things the industry can work on (cattle handling, transport, preconditioning and weaning, and pain control). He suggested it pick one or two topics to focus on as an industry, much like injection sites with the voluntary Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program.
Many issues can be solved with producer training, providing greater cohesiveness from the industry to the operation to the individual. Thomson emphasized training should be in both English and Spanish, as many agricultural jobs (about 31%) are performed by Hispanic workers. Additionally, he noted, the effectiveness of training manuals pale in comparison to face-to-face or audio-visual training.
In summary, Thomson said animal welfare equals production. BRD is the No. 1 cause of death loss, and one of the biggest factors in the occurrence of BRD is cattle that are unprepared to enter feedlots.
He added that castration and dehorning need to happen as soon as possible in the calf's life. Heifers should be required to be open (not pregnant) to enter feedlots.
Feedlot research is indicating that the simple addition of shade can provide the same performance improvement as an implant.
Finally, he said, while electric prods are rarely if ever used anymore, sorting stick bruises on carcasses are still prevalent. Driving aids and low-stress handling should be looked at as an industry.
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