Ruminant Restraint Chapter 2

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

Objectives

• Understand potential risks that exist with the practice of large animal veterinary medicine.

• KNOW quick release knot. • Understand the basic natural instincts of each large animal

species.• Understand the importance of protecting themselves,

veterinary personnel, and clients while handling patients.• Be familiar with common methods of large animal restraint

and be able to apply them safely, efficiently, and effectively.

Safety

• One of the most dangerous occupations– Death rate: 21 workers per 100,000 – 110,000 disabling accidents per year

• Reasons– Human error– Being tired– Not paying attention– Using poor judgment

Dangers• Livestock• Chemical safety• Environmental safety• Animal disease

– Preventing zoonosis• Cleanliness• Vaccinations• Quarantine sick animals• Avoid exposure

• Gain handling• Building problems• Fire safety

Biosecurity– Wash hands and boots– Clean cloths – Control insects, rodents, and birds– Control mold – Limit contact with other animals – Limit vehicle traffic– Wear rubber gloves when dealing with sick animals– Wear shoe coverings to prevent transmission– Wear protective eye covering– Wear a mask when concerned with aerosols

Beef Cattle – Cow/Calf ProducersNE,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

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)

Cattle Restraint

• “Stress”– Loss of production results in lower profits.– Increased feed requirements result in increased

cost.– Decreased immunity results in increased illness.– Death results in lower profits.

Cattle Restraint (cont’d)

• Stress– Increased respiration– High mortality– Teeth grinding– Poor product quality– Nervousness– Poor growth rate– Poor reproduction– Increased flight zone

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

Restraint

• Chemical and physical restraint

• Prepare • Be familiar with your

equipment

• Protect the animal• Protect yourself• Protect your coworkers

Liability: The veterinarian is responsible

• 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 • Cattle move toward light• STRESS > DISEASE AND LOW

PERFORMANCE

Cattle Restraint (cont’d)

• Tailing– The middle of the tail is grasped and twisted forward to one side or

the other, over the back, and off of midline. – Too much pressure can break the tail. – Do not stand directly behind them.

Backstops

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

Cattle Restraint (cont’d)

ChutesHead gateTail gateSqueeze

Chute Restraint

• The working chute is designed to hold one animal at the time

• 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.

• "the part that draws goes under the jaws.“

• Not for beef

Cattle Restraint (cont’d)

• Halters

• 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 - HLOther 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 – 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

http://vetvideos.com/restraintcattle.htmhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-

1725026942547112254http://video.google.com/videoplay?

docid=8512037042653473796http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-

6761217048822203559http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-

3356654913389880021

References

• http://research.vet.upenn.edu/Dairy/Restraint/RestraintsthatDivertAttention/NoseLead/tabid/3904/Default.aspx

• K Holtgrew-Bohling , Large Animal Clinical Procedures for Veterinary Technicians, 2nd Edition, Mosby, 2012, ISBN: 97803223077323

• McCurnin, Dennis and Bassert, Joanna, Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians, 6th Edition, W. B. Saunders, 2005, ISBN 0721606121.

Editions

• Dr. Mendoza• Dr. Brahmbhatt