SURGERY - Young Ruminant Surgery

Question 1

Why do we disbud/dehorn cattle?

Answer 1

Reduce risk of animals getting stuck/injured
Reduce bullying
Dangerous to stockmen
Can’t fit their heads through feed barriers/crushes

Question 2

Which nerve block do you use for disbudding/dehorning cattle?

Answer 2

Cornual nerve block

Question 3

How do you carry out a cornual nerve block?

Answer 3

Administer local anaesthetic using an 18g, 1 - 1.5 inch needle at a 30° angle mid way into the groove between the lateral canthus of the eye and the base of the horn. Aim the needle towards the horn, making sure to draw back before infusing the local anaesthetic as the corneal vein and artery are close to the nerve and you don’t wan’t to infuse the local into the vasculature

Question 4

How much local anaesthetic should you use for cornual nerve blocks?

Answer 4

Use 2 - 10ml of local anaesthetic for each horn

Question 5

How long should you wait following a cornual nerve block before disbudding/dehorning?

Answer 5

You should wait 10 minutes to allow the local anaesthetic to work before beginning disbudding/dehorning

Question 6

What is a key indicator you have carried out a cornual nerve block correctly?

Answer 6

Droppy eyelids

Question 7

Which NSAID should you use for analgesia when carrying out disbudding/dehorning in cattle?

Answer 7

Meloxicam as this is the only NSAID licensed for disbudding/dehorning in cattle

Question 8

How do you decide which method to use to remove horns in cattle?

Answer 8

The method of disbudding/dehorning is dependent on the age of the cow/size of the horn

Question 9

When is chemical disbudding appropriate in cattle?

Answer 9

Chemical disbudding is only appropriate for calves less than 1 week old with horns up to the size of a thumb nail

Question 10

How do you carry out chemical disbudding?

Answer 10

1. Restrain the calf in the corner of the pen or in a calf crush
2. Clip the hair around the bud
3. Wearing gloves, apply the chemical disbudding paste to the horn bud
4. Seperate the calf from the cow for at least one hour to prevent the cow licking off the paste

Question 11

(T/F) Local anaesthetic is legally required for chemical disbudding

Answer 11

FALSE. Local anaesthetic is not legally required for chemical disbudding, however it should be done ethically

Question 12

When is heat disbudding appropriate?

Answer 12

Heat disbudding is appropriate for calves with horns up to the size of a thumb nail, and should ideally be done before calves reach 2 weeks old

Question 13

Which equipment can be used for heat disbudding?

Answer 13

Portable gas canister attached to a hot iron
Hot iron heated with actual fire
Electric hot iron

Question 14

How do you carry out heat disbudding?

Answer 14

1. Allow the hot iron plenty of time to heat up. Test the iron on wood, it should smoke and leave a black mark if hot enough
2. Restrain the calf in the corner of the pen or in a calf crush
3. Identify the bud and place the hot iron right on top of it
4. Put pressure on the hot iron in a downwards circular motion, then gouge/scoop the horn out
5. The heat should cautarise the blood vessels but always make sure to check the calves at the end of the visit for haemorrhage

Question 15

Which dehorning methods can you use if the horns are up to thumb size?

Answer 15

Dehorn cups or cut of the tips of the horns and use the hot iron

Question 16

Which dehorning methods can you use if the horns bigger than thumb size?

Answer 16

Dehorn guillotine
Embryotomy wire

Question 17

How do you carry out dehorning?

Answer 17

1. Restrain the animal in the crush with a halter
2. Using either cups or guillotine, cut and twist to remove the horn as close to the base as possible
3. Remember it is normal to expose the frontal sinus so do not panic
4. Use the hot iron to cautarise the vessels. If you have used an embryotomy wire, the heat from cutting with the wire should cautaurise the vessels for you
5. Apply wound spray or topical antibiotic spray
6. Check the cattle for haemorrhage before you leave

Question 18

What are the potential complications of disbudding/dehorning?

Answer 18

Haemorrhage
Horn regrowth
Infection
Sinusitis
Stress (can increase risk of disease such as pneumonia)
Skull fracture

Question 19

Which disbudding/dehorning method has the biggest risk of horn regrowth?

Answer 19

Chemical disbudding

Question 20

What are the clinical signs of sinusitis secondary to dehorning?

Answer 20

Purulent discharge from the dehorning wound
Pyrexia
Head tilt
Loss of body condition score (BCS)

Question 21

How does dehorning goats differ from cattle?

Answer 21

1. Goats should ideally be dehorned between 2 to 7 days old
2. You should use a larger hot iron as goats have a wider germinal centre for their horns
3. Requires two cornual nerve blocks as goats have two seperate cornual nerve branches
4. Goats don’t cope well with stress so should be put under general anaesthetic or deep sedation
5. Goats have a very thin frontal bone and no frontal sinus so you should only apply the hot iron for 3 to 4 seconds at a time or you will fry the brain

Question 22

What are the landmarks for cornual nerve blocks in goats?

Answer 22

The first block is in the groove between the lateral canthus of the eye and the base of the horn, and the second block is the groove between the medial canthus of the eye and the base of the horn on the medial side

Question 23

Why do we castrate young ruminants?

Answer 23

Reduce aggressive behaviour
Prevent unwanted pregnancies
Improve meat quality

Question 24

What are the three main methods for castrating young ruminants?

Answer 24

Rubber ring
Burdizzo
Surgical

Question 25

How should you restrain calves for rubber ring castration?

Answer 25

For rubber ring castration, the calf should be restrained standing or in lateral recumbency

Question 26

At what age is rubber ring castration of calves appropriate?

Answer 26

Rubber ring castration can be used in the first week of life

Question 27

When is local anaesthetic legally required for rubber ring castration of calves?

Answer 27

Local anaesthetic is only legally required for rubber ring castration if the calf is over a week old

Question 28

How does a burdizzo work?

Answer 28

A burdizzo crushes the testicular blood vessels without cutting the skin, causing the testicles to atrophy

Question 29

How do you carry out burdizzo castration of calves?

Answer 29

1. Restrain the calf in a crush, with your assistant in the crush holding the tail up with their elbow on the back of the calf 2. The vet will be standing in a sensible position behind the calf 3. Administer local anaesthetic and wait 10 minutes before beginning procedure (ideally you should have given NSAIDs 20 mins before also) 4. Secure the handles of the burdizzo with your knees, and use your thumb and finger to hold the spermatic cord lateral to one side and in the neck of the scrotum 5. Crush using fast closure of the burdizzo and leave for 5 to 10 seconds 6. Move the jaws of the burdizzo up by 1cm and crush using fast closure 7. Repeat this on the other side, making sure not to overlap the crush sites as this can cause ischaemia and necrosis of the scrotum

Question 30

At what age is burdizzo castration of calves appropriate?

Answer 30

Burdizzo can be used in calves less than 2 months old

Question 31

When is local anaesthetic legally required for burdizzo castration of calves?

Answer 31

Local anaesthetic is only legally required for burdizzo castration if the calf is over 2 months old, however it should be used at any age

Question 32

Where can local anaesthetic be administered for castrations?

Answer 32

Infiltration into the spermatic cord Intra-testicular infiltration Scrotal skin over the site of incision

Question 33

How do you carry out surgical castration on cattle?

Answer 33

1. Restrain the calf in a crush, with your assistant in the crush holding the tail up with their elbow on the back of the calf 2. The vet will be standing in a sensible position behind the calf 3. Administer local anaesthetic wait 10 minutes before beginning procedure (ideally you should have given NSAIDs 20 mins before also) 4. Wash and disinfect the scrotal skin 5. Hold onto the scrotal neck and pull the testicles down so the skin is tense 6. Make a vertical incision on the lateral aspect of the scrotal skin 7. Squeeze the testicle out and incise the vaginal tunic (you may have already incised this with the skin) 8. Pop out the testicle and make a 'window' using your fingers between the tunic and the testicle 9. Break the attachment between the tunic at the ventral aspect of the testicle 10. Release the attachment of the vaginal tunic as far up the cord as you can 11. Twist and pull the spermatic cord 12. Topical or systemic antibiotics and monitor for haemorrhage

Question 34

What are the legal requirements for cattle castration?

Answer 34

Legally you have to use local anaesthetic and legally this procedure must be carried out by a veterinarian

Question 35

What are the potential complications of cattle castration?

Answer 35

Infection Clostridial disease Haemorrhage Vaginal tunic prolpase Incomplete castration (ring and burdizzo) Necrosis of the scrotum (burdizzo)

Question 36

What are the indicators for umbilical surgery?

Answer 36

Umbilical hernia Umbilical infection

Question 37

How should you prepare an animal for umbilical surgery?

Answer 37

1. If the animal is pre-weaning, withold milk prior to surgery, however if they are weaned, withold food for 24 hours to reduce rumen size 2. General anaesthesia or deep sedation combined with a high dose epidural 3. Administer NSAIDS and antibiotics 4. Clip and surgically prep the site

Question 38

What is 'closed' umbilical surgery?

Answer 38

'Closed' umbilical surgery is umbilical surgery where you do not enter the peritoneum

Question 39

When is 'closed' umbilical surgery indicated?

Answer 39

'Closed' umbilical surgery is indicated for small umbilical hernias with no infection

Question 40

How do you carry out 'closed' umbilical surgery?

Answer 40

1. Make an elliptical incision around the umbilicus 2. Incise through the muscle layers until you reach the hernial ring 3. Invert the hernial sac (i.e. the peritoneum) back into the abdomen 4. Use tension relieving sutures to close the muscle layers 5. Suture using an appositional pattern to close the subcutaneous tissue and skin seperately

Question 41

What is 'open' umbilical surgery?

Answer 41

'Open' umbilical surgery is umbilical surgery where you incise into the peritoneum to visualise the abdominal structures

Question 42

How do you carry out 'open' umbilical surgery?

Answer 42

1. Make an elliptical incision around the umbilicus 2. Incise through the muscle layers until you reach the hernial ring 3. Incise into the peritoneum cranial to the umbilical stalk at the edge of the hernial ring 4. Assess the abdominal structures for any adhesions or evidence of infection 5. If there is no infection, invert the hernial sac back into the abdomen and close as you would for a closed umbilical surgery 6. If there is adhesions, break them down, and if there is infection, tie off any infection and remove the hernial sac. Debride the hernial ring until you reach muscular tissue and close the incision

Question 43

What are the landmarks for rumen trocarisation in cattle?

Answer 43

Hands breadth from the caudal edge of the last rib and a hands breadth from the transverse process

Question 44

What are the landmarks for rumen trocarisation in sheep?

Answer 44

Three fingers from the caudal edge of the last rib and a three fingers breadth from the transverse process

Question 45

How do you carry out rumen trocarisation?

Answer 45

1. Identify your landmarks and sterilly clip and prep the area 2. Administer local anaesthetic into where you plan to make your incision 3. Make a skin incision 4. Stab the trocar through the muscle and twist the trocar into the rumen 5. Secure the trocar in place with very loose sutures 6. Slowly remove the inner stylet to allow the gas to escape ## Footnote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_rWOAW03Gw

Question 46

Why is it important to remove the inner stylet of the rumen trocar slowly?

Answer 46

To reduce the risk of reperfusion injury

Question 47

How do you treat a rectal prolapse?

Answer 47

1. Caudal epidural 2. Clean the prolapsed tissue and assess its viability 3. Use plenty of lubricant and gently push the tissue back into the body 4. Do a Buhner's stitch, leaving enough space for defaecation 5. Administer NSAIDs and a broad spectrum antibiotic

Question 48

What are the clinical signs of atresia ani?

Answer 48

No meconium passed Swollen abdomen

Question 49

How do you treat atresia ani?

Answer 49

1. Caudal epidural ± sedation 2. Bring the front and hindlimbs together and look for a buldge of faeces where the anus should be 3. Incise over the buldge if it is present to create an anus 4. If there is no buldge present, incise and explore the abdomen for the blind ending rectum and suture the rectum to your incision using stay sutures. Open the rectum with an incision and suture the rectal margins to the skin with a simple interrupted suture pattern

Question 50

What is entropion?

Answer 50

Entropion is where the eyelid, usually the lower eyelid, is turned inward

Question 51

What causes entropion?

Answer 51

Entropion is congenital and hereditary

Question 52

How can you treat entropion?

Answer 52

Manual eversion of the eyelid Pencillin injection into the eyelid Surgical correction