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By Marlene
Halverson
Tail docking of dairy cattle, or amputating
half or more of the cow's tail, first became a
routine practice among dairy farmers in New
Zealand. Today, it is also practiced in
Australia and Ireland and is becoming routine
on an increasing number of North American dairy
farms.
The procedure is banned in the Netherlands,
Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United
Kingdom.
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| The purpose of the tail is
to ensure a cow's well-being. Marlene
Halverson/AWI |
Tail docking is both painful
and debilitating. Marlene
Halverson/AWI |
Tail docking is a mutilation and causes
injury to the animal. Generally, it is
performed on an unanesthetized animal. In one
to two day old calves, a tourniquet may be
applied to the tail before amputating with
scissors. In some cases, heated scissors are
used to cauterize the stump simultaneously with
cutting. In 6-8 week old calves, an emasculator
(used in crushing testicles during castration
of male calves) is used to crush the tail, and
then the tail may be cut off below the crushed
area. In heifers and grown cattle, tail docking
usually involves applying a tight rubber ring
around the tail. The rubber ring reduces oxygen
to the tail below the ring. The necrotic tail
below the rubber ring may be amputated with
pruning shears or it may be left to fall off.
In addition to the acute pain inflicted at the
time of docking, there is the potential for
chronic pain due to neuroma (a tumor composed
of nerve tissue that forms at the injury site)
formation in the docked stump. Similarly, human
amputees have described pain, itching, or
discomfort in the limbs they no longer have; a
condition referred to as "phantom limb."
Though it has been assumed that dirty tails
can contaminate udders, increasing the
incidence of mastitis (a painful disease of the
udder) and reducing milk purity, research shows
that areas of the body where cows become soiled
with manure do not closely correspond with
areas reached by intact tails.
The tail is an important tool for protecting
the cow from flies. Research shows that docked
cows spend considerably more time than intact
cows in fly avoidance behavior and that
inability to swat flies results in greater fly
numbers on docked versus intact cows. Docked
cows stand more than intact cows as fly numbers
increase, possibly indicating that docked cows
are uncomfortable, as cows tend to stand when
they are uncomfortable because cows have a
biological need to lie down 9-14 hours each day
in order to ruminate efficiently and produce
milk. Fly avoidance behavior can disturb
rumination and milk production. Fly avoidance
behaviors also disturb grazing. Research has
further indicated that cows use tail postures
in signaling to other cows. Without a tail, the
cow is deprived of this method of
communication.
Cows rely on the endowments nature has given
them for survival and for well-being. We have
choices they do not have when it comes to
designing housing systems and tailoring
husbandry practices. Our choices should embrace
both the integrity and well-being of these
animals. Tail docking is not a universal
practice in the North American dairy industry
yet, and some dairy farmers would never think
of docking their cows' tails. For them, tails
are indispensable parts of the cows' anatomy
both practically and aesthetically.
Full article and citations to references
used in this article are available
here: | 
