Also to minimize distress and improve the animal performance, pain control is recommended. If you choose to tail dock on your dairy farm Michigan State University Extension recommends to do it at the youngest age possible, ideally within the first 3 weeks of life. Tail docking can also lead to the formation of damaged nerve axons called neuromas that can cause chronic pain. Gangrene and tetanus infections have also been found after tail docking. Consult your veterinarian about clostridia vaccinations to help in the case of a clostridia infection. Any type of tail docking can lead to infection.Ĭlostridia is a common pathogen that results after tail docking and may cause local or systemic infections. Banding is the most common method of tail docking and takes 3-7 weeks for the tail to detach. Tail docking is done with banding, cauterizing docking irons, emasculators or surgical removal. If the hair of the switch is trimmed it cannot strike the worker, increasing worker comfort. Trimming the tail switch will alleviate the matting of hair with manure and bedding. Switch trimming is a recommended as an alternative to tail docking. Tail docking currently is recommended to be phased out of the Dairy FARM program by December 31, 2016. Tail docking protocols should be included in the written Herd Health Plan in the FARM program. The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Animal Care Program opposes routine tail docking of dairy animals, unless the animal suffers a traumatic injury that requires tail amputation. The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) also opposed routine tail docking as of March 2010 and the National Mastitis Council (NMC) knows of no evidence that tail docking of dairy cattle improves cow welfare, cow hygiene or milk quality. In 2014 the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) officially opposed routine tail docking in dairy cattle because current scientific literature indicates that routine tail docking provides no benefit to the animal and can cause distress during fly season. Cows with docked tails also had higher fly counts and fly control behavior exhibited by foot stomping. However a study by Texas Tech University and Purdue University in 2001 found that cows with docked tails were cleaner in general but had no difference in udder hygiene. In 2002, researchers from the University of Wisconsin found that cows with docked tails did not have different udder hygiene scores, somatic cell counts or intramammary infections than cows that did not have docked tails. Research over the years has not supported the idea that tail docking decreases mastitis or somatic cell count. The most common reason given by producers for tail docking was cow hygiene (73 percent) followed by parlor worker comfort (17 percent). In 2008 a survey done at Colorado State University of 113 dairies in the Midwest observed that 82 percent of dairies had docked tails. Many dairy producers believe that tail docking improves cow cleanliness and decreases mastitis. To avoid causing problems with the laser, robotic milking companies recommend dairy producers trimming tail switches, however many producers dock tails instead. In robotic milking systems, the eye of the laser can mistake the tail for a teat. In parallel and rotary parlors, the tails may swing into and strike the worker as they attach the milking unit. Dairy farmers who use parallel or rotary parlors often dock tails to keep them out of the way of the milking unit. Dairy farmers choose to tail dock for many reasons. And, the return link feature confirms with a green light on the unit that your 406 signal has been sent and, importantly, that it has been received by the Coast Guard.Over the last 15 years dairy producers and veterinarians have debated if tail docking is a necessary management practice on dairy farms. Now, with the new ResQLink, if you fall overboard while wearing an inflatable PFD equipped with the new beacon, your position will be broadcast to all vessels equipped with AIS in your vicinity, the Coast Guard, and SARSAT system will be alerted via the 406 satellite signal, plus nearby smart phones will be alerted. This is it, this is the PLB we have been asking for since the first AIS unit was launched. Two weeks ago, ARTEX ACR, the leading suppliers of personal locator beacons, EPIRBs, and many other safety products, finally got FCC approval to bring to market their all-new ResQLink AIS Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) with an AIS signal, plus a 406 satellite beacon plus the near-field frequency link to smartphones and return link technology. In the world of offshore sailors, this is big news. If the unthinkable happens, new technology may save your life as detailed by George Day in the Cruising Compass:
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