Best-practice recommendations for cautery disbudding goat kids

Abstract

Abstract Cautery disbudding is a painful husbandry practice routinely performed on goat kids using a hot cautery iron to destroy the horn buds and prevent horn growth. After a thorough review of the scientific literature on cautery disbudding of goat kids, it is apparent that there is considerable variation in disbudding practice in relation to training, kid-related factors (e.g. age, sex), iron-related factors (e.g. temperature, application time), procedure (e.g. horn bud removal), and pain mitigation, which all can impact the behaviour and welfare of goat kids. This case study provides best-practice recommendations for cautery disbudding goat kids. It is imperative that goat kid-specific training, with allowance for time and opportunities for practice, is provided to improve the technical ability of operators, and to reduce the potential for negative impacts on kid health and welfare. Procedural factors to be taken into consideration in preparation for disbudding include age of goat kid at disbudding, sex, temperature and application time of the iron, and whether the horn bud is removed. Goat kids typically are very vocal with rapid and intense movements during disbudding, and they perform head shaking and scratching following disbudding, which can be alleviated with appropriate pain management. Isoflurane or dexmedetomidine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as meloxicam can reduce pain, whereas lidocaine blocks have varying efficacy and cause pain to administer. Goat kid-focused best-practice recommendations for cautery disbudding can improve the health and welfare outcomes for goat kids.