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Wound characteristics after disbudding: Part II-Comparing cautery and caustic paste methods.

Alycia M Drwencke¹, Sarah J J Adcock², Cassandra B Tucker³

¹Center for Animal Welfare, Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616; Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616.

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|August 8, 2025

Summary

Cautery disbudding resulted in faster wound healing and less sensitivity in calves compared to caustic paste methods. These findings suggest cautery is a better option for calf welfare during this common procedure.

Keywords:

burn dairy dehorning pain

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Area of Science:

Veterinary Medicine
Animal Welfare Science
Agricultural Science

Background:

Disbudding is a standard but painful procedure in cattle farming.
Current methods, including cautery and caustic paste, vary in application, yet long-term effects are under-researched.
Understanding these differences is crucial for improving animal welfare.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare wound healing, sensitivity, and horn regrowth after cautery and two caustic paste disbudding methods in Holstein calves.
To evaluate the long-term welfare implications of different disbudding techniques.

Main Methods:

Holstein calves were assigned to four groups: sham (control), hot iron cautery, 0.2 mL caustic paste on shaved buds, and 0.3 mL paste on unshaved buds.
Calves received local anesthesia and systemic pain relief.
Wound healing, depth, diameter, mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT), and horn regrowth were assessed over several weeks.

Main Results:

All disbudded calves showed reduced MNT for at least 42 days; sensitivity was similar across disbudding treatments.
Hot iron cautery wounds contracted and healed faster (7-10 weeks) than paste wounds (16-18 weeks).
Paste wounds were initially larger, deeper, and took significantly longer to heal compared to cautery.

Conclusions:

Cautery disbudding demonstrates superior outcomes in terms of wound healing speed and reduced long-term sensitivity compared to caustic paste.
Both shaved and unshaved paste applications yielded similar results, indicating chemical destruction methods have comparable effects.
Cautery disbudding appears to be more beneficial for calf welfare than caustic paste methods.