Courtesy of Danielle Langloism, Wikipedia CCLDisbudding and Pain Control
Patty Khuly, a veterinarian in Florida, keeps a blog at PetMD covering veterinary topics. A goat owner herself, her recent contribution discusses disbudding of goats and the need for pain control.
Her points are well taken. Burning the horn buds off of a two to three week goat can be traumatic and we need to be cognizant of the baby’s discomfort. True, once it’s over and done, there is no obvious sign of distress beyond the baby being a bit wary of humans for a day or so.
I must be spoiled. My local vet, who does all of my disbudding, goats and cattle alike, always uses pain control. He sedates the animal beforehand and gives a lidocaine block. He’s big on pain control, low stress procedures and gentle care of livestock.
Disbudding is necessary for some operations. My bucks and wethers get to keep their horns because as long as they don’t get stuck in a fence, the horns aren’t a problem. However, my girls are all disbudded because they don’t fit in the stanchions if they have horns. It’s not an issue of beauty; it’s an issue of function.
So it’s important to be aware of what is available in the way of pain control and to employ a vet and method that is as least traumatic and invasive as possible. A stressed or hurting animal is more prone to illness and disease and while there are exceptions, the vast majority of livestock keepers are diligent about maintaining a good quality of life for their charges.
