Docking (animal)

For Ear cropping, see cropping (animal).

Two lambs having their tails docked by the use of rubber rings. The tight rubber rings block blood flow to the lower portion of the tail, which will atrophy and fall off.

Docking is a term for the intentional removal of part of an animal's tail or ears. The term cropping is also used, though more commonly in reference to the cropping of ears, while docking more commonly—but not exclusively—refers to the tail. The term tailing is also commonly used. The term arises because the living flesh of the tail, from which the animal's tail hairs grow, commonly is known as the dock.

History

Originally, most docking was done for practical purposes. For example, a large horse used for hauling large loads might have its tail docked to prevent it from becoming entangled in tow ropes or harness; without docking, it could be dangerous to the horse, painful if the tail were tangled, and inconvenient to the owner to tie up the horse's tail for every use.

Agricultural practice

A lamb in Australia which, unusually, has not had its tail docked.

Tail docking may be performed on livestock for a variety of reasons:

• In the case of domestic pigs, where commercially raised animals are kept in close quarters, tail docking is performed to prevent injury or to prevent animals from chewing or biting each others' tails.

• Many breeds of sheep have their tails docked to reduce fly strike.^[1] Also used for this purpose is mulesing.

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While tail docking is an effective preventive method in some cases, if it is not carried out correctly it may result in other problems such as rectal prolapse^[2] or ill thrift.^[3]

Depending on the animal and the culture, docking may be done by cutting (knife or other blade), searing (gas or electrically heated searing iron), or constriction methods, i.e. rubber ring elastration.^[1]

As with docking of dogs, it has been identified that this practice contributes to masking underlying shortcoming of a breed, which - if docking were not the general practice - would be countered through selective breeding of animals where the tail does not lead to medical problems.^{[citation needed]}

Dogs

Main article: Docking (dog)

As with other domesticated animals there is a long history of docking the tails of dogs. It is understood to date at least to the Roman Empire. The most popular reason for docking dog breeds is to prevent injury to working dogs. For instance, it has been stated that a vermin's bite to the working dog's flop ears can lead to a systemic infection, a serious medical problem that wouldn't occur were there no flop ears to be bitten. In hunting dogs, the tail is docked to prevent it from getting cut up as the dog wags its tail in the brush. This is contested by a wide range of groups and is often considered a form of animal cruelty and torture. This has led to the practice being outlawed and made illegal throughout many countries, in some of which dogs are no longer bred for work, or used as working animals.

For example, in United Kingdom tail docking was originally undertaken largely by dog breeders. However, in 1991, the UK government amended the Veterinary Surgeons Act (1966),^[4] prohibiting the docking of dogs' tails by lay persons from 1 July 1993.^[5] Only veterinary surgeons were, by law, allowed to dock. However, following the passage of the law, the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in November 1992, ruled docking to be unethical, "unless for therapeutic or acceptable prophylactic reasons". The requirement in which the Royal College considers prophylactic docking to be acceptable are so strict as to make the routine docking of puppies by veterinary surgeons extremely difficult. Vets who continue to dock risk disciplinary action, and can be removed from the professional register. Those found guilty of unlawful docking would face a fine of up to £20,000, up to 51 weeks imprisonment or both. They can only dock the tail of "working" dogs (in some specific cases) - e.g. hunting dogs that work in areas thick in brambles and heavy vegetation where the dog's tail can get caught and cause injury to the dog. Docking was banned in England and Wales by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and in Scotland by the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

In 1987 the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, established by Council of Europe, prohibited docking for non-medical reasons, though signatory countries are free to opt out of this provision, and almost half of them have done so. Norway completely banned the practice in 1987^{[citation needed]}. Other countries where docking is banned^{[citation needed]}: Australia,^[6] Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, the Virgin Islands.^{[clarification needed]}

Horses

Further information: Tail (horse)

Docked and banged tail on a polo pony, photographed between 1910 and 1915

In modern use, the term usually does not refer to tail amputation as it does with some dog breeds. However, historically, docking was performed on some horses, often as foals. The practice has been banned in some nations, but is still seen on some show and working draft horses in some places, and is practiced at some PMU operations.^[7]

In modern times, the term "docked" or "docking" in reference to the tail of a horse generally refers to the practice of cutting the hair of the tail skirt very short, just past the end of the natural dock of the tail. In particular, the tail is often cut short to keep it from being tangled in a harness.

Cattle

Cattle on large Australian cattle stations often have the tail brush (not the dock) cut shorter (banged) before their release; this "bang-tail muster" indicates those having been counted, treated, their current pregnancy status determined, etc.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Primary Industries Ministerial Council (2006). The Sheep - Second Edition. CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 0 643 09357 5. http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/22/pid/5389.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-09. 
2. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Giadinis, N. D., Loukopoulos, P., Tsakos, P., Kritsepi-Konstantinou, M., Kaldrymidou, E., and Karatzias, H. Illthrift in suckling lambs attributed to lung pyogranuloma formation. Veterinary Record, 165: 348-350, 2009.http://veterinaryrecord.bvapublications.com/cgi/content/full/165/12/348?view=long&pmid=19767640
4. ^ Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 Office of Public Sector Information
5. ^ Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (Schedule 3 Amendment) Order 1991 Office of Public Sector Information
6. ^ "Is the tail docking of dogs legal?". RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase. RSPCA. 2010-08-03. http://kb.rspca.org.au/Is-the-tail-docking-of-dogs-legal_277.html. Retrieved 2011-02-15. 
7. ^ "Tail Docking in Heavy Horses." Livestock Welfare INSIGHTS Issue 4 - Jun 2003 web page accessed September 1, 2008