Experimental reconstruction of teat cutaneous wound by ear skin graft in dairy cattle.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Teat lacerations are serious injuries that endanger the survival of a cow within the herd. In excessive lacerations, the wound should be left to heal by second intention healing process. However, tissue contraction during healing can change the alignment of the teat, creating problems for machine milking. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the transplantation of the full-thickness free skin graft in excessive teat lacerations. METHODS: Four healthy, non- pregnant, mixed Holstein-Friesian dairy cows with normal teats were used in the study. Under local anesthesia, a rectangular full thickness excision (2 Cm×2 Cm) was made on the lateral surface of the proximal part of the right and left fore teats of each cow, and simultaneously a rectangular full-thickness free skin graft (1.5 Cm×1.5 Cm) was harvested from the inner surface of the left pinna. The graft was then meshed and transplanted to the left teat defect. During a three-week study, the wound healing was evaluated clinically and at the end of the study, histopathologic samples (H &E staining) were taken from both wounds. RESULTS: The results of this study demonstrated that in non- grafted wounds, severe wound contraction caused a deformity in normal anatomical structure of the teats. However, in grafted wounds successful graft take was recorded in all wounds, and the teats restored their functional and anatomical structure with satisfactory cosmetic appearance. CONCLUSIONS:According to the result of present study, it can be concluded that using full- thickness free mesh skin graft can be considered a suitable method for treatment of excessive teat lacerations.