BACKGROUND This paper presents an overview of the global controversies surrounding cosmetic tail docking in puppies, some observed inconsistent practices among dog breeders and Veterinarians in West Africa, and the need for the African Veterinary Profession to take a decisive position on the cosmetic docking procedure. CASE PRESENTATION An interesting report of observed complications associat...

Tail docking of pigs is a routine procedure on farms to help control tail-biting behavior; however, docking can cause pain. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of local or general anesthesia on the physiology (experiment 1) and behavior (experiment 2) of tail docked pigs. Pigs were allocated to one of six treatment groups: (i) sham docking (CON); (ii) docking using convent...

Tail docking of feedlot cattle is a management practice used in some confined, slatted-floor feedlots of the midwestern United States. Justification for tail docking in these management systems is to reduce tail injuries and their sequelae and improve performance, but limited evidence exists to support these claims. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effect of tail docking...

Tail biting is a serious animal welfare and economic problem in pig production. Tail docking, which reduces but does not eliminate tail biting, remains widespread. However, in the EU tail docking may not be used routinely, and some 'alternative' forms of pig production and certain countries do not allow tail docking at all. Against this background, using a novel approach focusing on research wh...

In pig production, piglets are tail docked at birth in order to prevent tail biting later in life. In order to examine the effects of tail docking and docking length on the formation of neuromas, we used 65 pigs and the following four treatments: intact tails (n=18); leaving 75% (n=17); leaving 50% (n=19); or leaving 25% (n=11) of the tail length on the pigs. The piglets were docked between day...

Behavioral and physiological changes were measured following tail-docking in primiparous heifers. One month before projected first parturition, 21 heifers were assigned to control (nondocked), docked, or docked with lidocaine groups. Heifers were banded to initiate tail-docking and the necrotic tail was removed after 144 h. Physiological, immunological, and behavioral measures were taken for 24...

Routine husbandry procedures, such as castration and tail docking, are known to induce pain and distress in lambs (Grant, 2004; Kent et al., 2001). This raises important welfare concerns and has attracted debate on the acceptability of such practices. The most common method of castration and tail docking involves the application of a rubber ring to the scrotum or tail, usually without anesthesi...