The effect of horn trimming on calf health

Dehorning is done regularly to control cattle more easily and reduce harm to humans and the welfare
and comfort of other cattle. Thermal dehorning, chemical dehorning, removing the horn with pliers, the
best time is 4-6 weeks when the bud has grown 5-10 mm, which is a stressful and painful operation that
causes changes in the animal’s behavior.
Behavioral changes including sleeping and standing time, frequency of tail and ear wagging, kicking and
scratching increase, but eating and ruminating decrease.
Physiological changes such as cortisol levels in saliva and plasma, heart rate and breathing rate increase,
but the weight of the animal decreases. Also, the self-treatment behavior of the animal increases in
horn burning with hot iron, but decreases in horn burning with self-treatment ointment. We must know
that Ruminant animals feel and understand the pain a few days after birth. In burning the horn with
iron, behavioral changes can be seen up to 4 hours after that, and it causes damage to the skin around
the horn.
A deep wound is created in the dehorning with the ointment, and we must be careful that the ointment
is only applied to the same area so as not to damage another place.
Dehorning with tongs takes 4 to 6 hours and causes damage to the skin and bone of the cow’s head and
sinuses in front of the cow’s forehead. The wound left is deep and wide.
Removing the horn increases the level of cortisol, for example, in the case of burning of the horn with
ointment, cortisol is increased for one hour and remains at its peak for about 4-24 hours later, it returns
to the initial cortisol level, which is very stressful and accompanied by a lot of pain. In the hot iron
method, cortisol It increases slightly in the blood and reaches its peak after 30 minutes and returns to
normal after 2-4 hours.
Lidocaine should be used to reduce pain, and it is preferable to use the hot iron method with the
presence of a veterinarian and the use of anesthesia.