NEW method to disbud a baby goat

[OneFineAcre]

I'll be very interested to see how it turns out
Has there been any follow up studies in US with a larger sample size ?
Not to disparage Vet Schools in Iran but I've never heard of Iran being a hotbed of veterinary research and 16 animals isn't a large sampling
@Southern by choice did you send it to a vet who teaches at NC State ?

 

[Pearce Pastures]

@Southern by choice that is my thinking too--I would try this out on my wethered Boers because they are only going to be around for a year. And I agree--a bigger, more long term study would be nice. Maybe we can put it together ourselves

 

[Southern by choice]

I'll be very interested to see how it turns out
Has there been any follow up studies in US with a larger sample size ?
Not to disparage Vet Schools in Iran but I've never heard of Iran being a hotbed of veterinary research and 16 animals isn't a large sampling
@Southern by choice did you send it to a vet who teaches at NC State ?

Yes OFA.

The fact that this was a small study and where the study was done is of little concern to me because the US does not do much research or spend $ on anything goat.

LOL but that is why I am doing this on "terminal" animals.

 

[OneFineAcre]

The small sampling is significant or rather statistically its insignificant.
And I don't remember did they necropsy the animals to see if it caused any other damage?

 

[madcow]

Hi there!
I so wish this would have been available to Rosie and Goose, my first pair of dairy/meat cross bottle babies.
I read about the regular disbudding with the hot iron with 4 to 10 days of age. But here in my area the main business is commercial goats, even with 4-H, and this service is not available. All the vets here told me to bring them in with 3-4 weeks of age. So when I brought them to the vet, he told me that it would be very unlikely to get scurs with his method. I wasn't even asked if I would want to watch. Got my kids back with a huge bandage around head and throat that severly inhibited their breathing and sucking, with the comment to take it off after 3 days. Well, I left it on longer, also because the gauze underneath had slipped some. Huge horrible piece of work to get the bandage off, it was badly stuck; lots of soaking, screaming kids and bleeding. I think the vet scooped the horn buds, they hade huge wounds, but luckily no opening into the sinus cavity.
Now guess what: they are 3 months old now and both are getting a scur on each bud spot!
Needless to say, I won't be using this vet anymore, in future I rather drive 2 hrs for disbudding or check into this new treatment!
(The black stuff on the pic is bloodstop!)

OMG, that's terrible! Looks like it was painful afterwards too! Definitely not the way to go in my book.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

I think they did a necropsy but only to see if there was any further cell growth. They were young too and I still wonder if a few more months might see any evidence of cell repair and regrowth.

 

[OneFineAcre]

I think it wise to try on terminal animals
I will await you findings

 

[OneFineAcre]

I think they did a necropsy but only to see if there was any further cell growth. They were young too and I still wonder if a few more months might see any evidence of cell repair and regrowth.

Sometime academic studies particularly something like this needs further examination as to what they don't say
I mean this could actually cause more discomfort than disbudding with an iron
Without the smell of burnt hair of course

 

[Southern by choice]

The small sampling is significant or rather statistically its insignificant.
And I don't remember did they necropsy the animals to see if it caused any other damage?

They took tissue sampling along the way... I do not believe they necropsied... they continued for out to 1 year. There are pics of the goats with one horn at 12 months of age. The other side NO horn growth at all.

 

[Southern by choice]

Sometime academic studies particularly something like this needs further examination as to what they don't say
I mean this could actually cause more discomfort than disbudding with an iron
Without the smell of burnt hair of course

Did you read the whole study because they answer all the questions you ask.
They also list and you can see the articles on iron usage etc.

So far I think it is worth trying on the terminals... ultimately it is a possible win for the goat community. I know how much we all hate burning... I think that is every producers MOST hated thing to do.
So far I have quite a few willing to do the same with their "terminals" so hopefully, collectively, we the goat keepers will be able to provide enough data to see if it is the way to go.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to never have to burn another goat!

In the "research world" there is so much that is done that is not always necessary. Yes, a "real" study would have tissue sampling every so many days and blah blah blah... sometimes just doing it based on the small study done showing no ill affects is the way to go. IMO