Ruminant Restraint Dr. Dipa Brahmbhatt VMD, MPH, MS "I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we've got to do it right. We've got to give those animals a decent life and we've got to give them a painless death. We owe the animal respect." —Temple Grandin

Question  Livestock husbandry practices are dictated by the intended use of the animal.  Even though all cattle have similar instincts, husbandry practices can have a significant effect on an animal’s behavior.  What are some of the basic behavioral differences of beef cattle and dairy cattle that affect the way that they are handled and restrained?

Beef Cattle – Cow/Calf Producers NE,TX, KS   Before the feedlot, spend most of their time in open range or field settings.  Handled and restrained only occasionally: vaccination and deworming.  Suspicious of humans and enclosures (pens and chutes), and are usually more difficult to segregate and restrain.  Caution: Beef bulls and cows with calves

Dairy cattle  Temperament  nervous cow  the docile cow  the balker (obstinate)  the chronic kicker  Dairy bulls should never by trusted  Cows with calves  Facility  dark barns are apt to be nervous.  Better in a well lighted, well ventilated one  sedative or anesthetic

Ferocious Bull

Dairy Cattle   Dairy cattle are handled more frequently and spend much less time in open settings.   Dairy cows are milked twice daily while lactating, and the lactation cycle lasts on average 8-10 months of the year.   Breeding is done by artificial insemination.   Calves are often reared in enclosures with frequent human contact.   In generaL, dairy cattle tend to be much easier to handle and restrain. (Caution on dairy bulls and mums)

Most veterinarian procedures required two stages of animal handling: 1. The individual most be separate from the herd (herding instinct) 2. The individual must then be restrained appropriately for the procedure

Drive animals to pen/corral /“tub” Tub to alleyway to working chute

Moving and Herding Cattle  CALM  Should not move faster than a walk  SHOULDER  Aka: point of balance  Behind > forward  Front > backwards  Ask the farmer  Ask the farmer Ask the farmer Ask the farmer  Cattle move toward light  STRESS > DISEASE AND LOW PERFORMANCE Tailing

Backstops Spring loaded panels pushed forward as animal moves through than popped back in place

 The working chute is designed to hold one animal at the time  Silencer chute Silencer chute Silencer chute Chute Restraint

Self closing head catch or manually

“Posting” Use both hands

Fully restrain head before working with animal Head first squeeze later

Nose lead

Challenges  Cow is down  Occlude trachea or blood flow to the cranium  Handle calmly  Only 1 hand inside chute

 Head restraint may be applied to cooperative animals, without use of a chute, but most individuals must be placed in a chute first. Head restraint Head restraint  "the part that draws goes under the jaws.“   Not for beef

 Cattle halters are used to control the head by tying or securing the head to an immovable object with a rope attached to the halter  Watch trachea and eye QUICK RELEASE

Restraints that divert attention  Tail restraint  Nose lead/ “nose tongs”  IV injection  Udder surgery  Examine hoof  Restraint of the head

Nose leads  They apply blunt, pinching pressure to the nasal septum.  Supplement with halter and/or with head restraint  Nasal septum may be torn with violent movement

Don’t use in calves If tie knot: quick release and monitor carefully

Nose rings  Placed through the nasal septum and are often used in bulls  Should not be used to tie the head for head restraint  Only for additional control of the head but: nasal septum can be torn

Tail Restraint TAIL JACK Cattle tail not as strong as horse Don’t include vertebrae

Leg Restraint Over common Calcaneal tendon, just above the hocks Hobbels/ Hoppels – No Kicking Flank rope – No Kicking

Leg Restraint

Leg Restraint: Front Leg Hoppel ASSISTANT PE or treatment A rope with an eye in one end is used to form a loop around the pastern. The other end of the rope passes over the withers where is should be held by an assistant so that it can be released quickly if the cow starts to go down.

Beam and Hook - HL Other method

If more than 30 min. NPO

Casting – Rope Squeeze  Casting is a method of forcing an animal to the ground, usually with ropes  Prefer R lateral recumbency: discourages bloat  Casting - calving Casting - calving Casting - calving

Casting – Burley Method Advantages Less time No respiratory/ CVS pressure No pressure in genitalia area Dr. D. R. Burley of Georgia

Recumbent animal  Stand next to spine  Back/ Rib/ Thigh  Tap, slap or poke (blunt item)  Knee  Electric cattle prod only if necessary

Calf restraint  Separate the calf from mother first  One arm around chest and other around base of tail  Lateral recumbency: “Flanking”, slide down your legs DO NOT throw calf on ground  1 knee on neck and other holding HL

Calf restraint  Do not throw the calf to the ground  Do not place the entire bodyweight on the calf and do not occlude the trachea

Video

References  straintsthatDivertAttention/NoseLead/tabid/3904/ Default.aspx straintsthatDivertAttention/NoseLead/tabid/3904/ Default.aspx straintsthatDivertAttention/NoseLead/tabid/3904/ Default.aspx   K Holtgrew-Bohling, Large Animal Clinical Procedures for Veterinary Technicians, 2nd Edition, Mosby, 2012, ISBN: K Holtgrew-Bohling   McCurnin, Dennis and Bassert, Joanna, Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians, 6 th Edition, W. B. Saunders, 2005, ISBN

Editions  Dr. Mendoza  Dr. Brahmbhatt