Dairy cows are mutilated by having their tails docked, horns and teats removed.
Tail docking
Tail docking was developed in New Zealand in the early 1900s as a way to reduce leptospirosis (a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals) in the people who milked the cows.
Up to two-thirds of the tail may be amputated, usually without anesthesia.
Scissors may be used on very young calves (1-2 days old), and “emasculators” (used in the castrating of male calves) crush the tails of slightly older calves (6-8 weeks old).
Grown cattle have bands or rubber rings wrapped tightly around their tails. Oxygen is cut off so the dead tail either falls off, or is cut off.
Tail Docking in the U.S. Dairy Industry
There are approximately 9 million dairy cows in the U.S. In October 2009, California became the first U.S. state to ban tail docking of dairy cows.
Approximately 1 in 6 dairy producers dock the tails of their entire herd. This is done is spite of the fact that the American Veterinary Medical Association opposes routine tail docking of cattle, because they have not found sufficient scientific evidence to support it.
Welfare concerns
Cows may suffer from chronic pain similar to “phantom limb” pain in people
Young calves suffer more pain than adult cows, but are given no pain medication
Cows no longer have a tail to use to communicate with others
They spend a lot of time trying to get rid of flies by stomping their feet and shaking their heads. This behavior disturbs their grazing
They suffer from large numbers of flies on them
As the number of flies increases, cows stand longer. This is thought to be an indication of discomfort.
Disbudding destroys horn producing cells of the horn bud. Although there are several ways to do this, a hot iron is quite common, and quite painful.
Horn buds can be also be removed using knives, shears, dehorning spoons, cups, or tubes.
Dehorning means removing the horns after they have formed from the horn bud. It goes without saying it is done without anaesthetic.
A hot iron or caustic paste is used on calves under 10 weeks old, and a scoop, saw, guillotine shears or wire used on older calves.
Dehorning of adult cattle is associated with increased risks of sinusitis, bleeding, prolonged wound healing, and infection.
Teat removal
Dairy calves are sometimes born with 1 or 2 extra teats. They are removed because: dairies find them unappealing, and they may interfere with milking.
Animal care guidelines of the Milk and Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Center recommend they be removed by the time calves are 3 months old.
Guidelines recommend consulting a vet before removing teats from adults, but there is no mention of having a vet do the procedure, or providing pain medication.
Welfare concerns: http://bit.ly/dlyGu6, http://bit.ly/eC3o6N, http://bit.ly/dlyGu6
For a comprehensive report on the welfare of cows in dairy production: http://bit.ly/g0bqLJ
If you enjoyed this article, why not subscribe? Email alerts will be delivered directly to your inbox when new articles become available. Just click on the "subscribe" button above.
Comments