Histopathology of intact and docked pigtails

A histological examination was performed on tails from three groups of pigs, comprising 10 amputated tail tips from day-old piglets, 10 tails from undocked fattening pigs and 20 tails from docked fattening pigs. The investigation demonstrated that peripheral nerves could be traced to the tip of the tails of day-old piglets as well as of fattening pigs. In the docked fattening pigs, the peripheral nerves were unevenly distributed and showed regressive changes. In some cases traumatic neuromas were found, indicating an increased sensitivity to pain in the amputation stump. It was, surprisingly, demonstrated that widespread inflammatory reactions could be found in the apparently healthy tails of both categories of fattening pigs, presumably due to pen-mates' chewing activities.