Vet Clin Food Anim 21 (2005) 55–72

Routine Surgical Procedures in Dairy

Cattle Under Field Conditions:
Abomasal Surgery, Dehorning, and Tail
Docking
Pascale Aubry, DMV
Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Universite´ de Montréal,
C.P. 5000, Saint-Hyacinthe, Que´bec J2S 7C6, Canada

Dairy cattle veterinarians routinely perform, or educate their clients on

how to perform properly, many surgical procedures on the farm. Among
the most common are correction of abomasal displacement, dehorning, tail
docking, cesarean section, hernia repair in calves, and teat laceration
repairs. The last three procedures are discussed elsewhere in this issue. This
article first discusses the decision-making process in the correction of left
displaced abomasums (LDA). Next, pain management during and after
dehorning is addressed. Finally, the tail docking of dairy cows is discussed.

Left displaced abomasum

Dilation or displacement of the abomasum is probably the most common
surgical condition of the bovine patient. Three different diseases are de-
scribed: left-side displacement of the abomasum (LDA), right-side dilation
of the abomasum (RDA), and abomasal volvulus. Of the total cases of
displacement or volvulus, 85% to 95.8% are left-side displacements [1,2].
Left displacement of the abomasum first was described in dairy cattle in the
early 1950s [3,4]. Since then, it has become one of the most common and
costly diseases to the dairy industry. In a study of dairy herds in Michigan,
the lactational incidence rate for displacement of the abomasum was 6% for
primiparous and 7% for multiparous cows [5]. In New York State, a sample
of dairy farms had a lactational incidence risk for displacement of the
abomasum of 6.3% [6]. In Ontario dairy herds, the lactational incidence risk

E-mail address: pascale.aubry@umontreal.ca

0749-0720/05/$ - see front matter Ó 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.cvfa.2004.11.002 vetfood.theclinics.com