Methods of fixation and casting techniques for livestock animals in veterinary medicine

Livestock animal restraint is the restriction of their mobility. The restriction of movement is performed to protect the students working with them from sustaining traumatic injuries. Various techniques and methods are used for this purpose. Students must wear protective clothing and observe safety protocols when working with animals.

Cattle : when working with these animals, it is necessary to protect oneself from bruising that they may inflict with their head, horns, and limbs. One should not approach these animals from the front; it is safer to approach from behind and slightly to the side, immediately grasping the horns.

The following techniques are used for working with cattle:

• Restless and aggressive bulls are tied short to a post.
• To restrain the head, the nasal septum is compressed with the fingertips or nasal tongs.
• For bulls over two years of age, a metal ring is inserted into the nasal septum.
• Breeding bulls, regardless of their temperament, are brought in a halter and strictly with a bull staff attached to the nasal ring.
• To prevent kicking with hind limbs, hobbles are applied to them or they are tightened above the hocks with a rope loop.
• Cows are restrained in a chute or stall, holding them by the horns and turning the head to the side.
• The animal's head is restrained with a rope secured to the horns, or in polled animals, around the neck. Casting of animals is also performed.

For conducting experiments on sheep and goats, chutes designed for restraining dogs are used.

Horses: to approach this animal, call out to it and approach from the front slightly to the side, cautiously and gradually stroking the neck, then firmly grasp the halter, and if necessary, the ear. Horses are restrained in a chute, as well as by casting.

Methods of restricting a horse's movement:

• Lifting a forelimb by bending it at the carpal joint.
• Applying a twitch to the upper lip (no more than 10-15 minutes).
• Applying a twitch to one of the pinnae at the base.
• Using a lead or tether to a post (hitching rail).
• When examining the posterior parts of the trunk, a "breeding harness" is put on.

Figure 10 (left) - Applying a twitch to the lip

Swine are usually secured in a standing position using a metal twitch or long tongs. A twitch consists of a hollow tube into which a movable rod with a loop made of nylon or ordinary rope is inserted. The loop is placed over the upper jaw and tightened using the rod. Tongs are used to grasp the neck behind the pinnae and, by compressing, hold the animals in a specific position. To restrict the movement of swine during procedures, trough-shaped or flat tables can be used.

For surgeries and acute experiments on piglets, they are restrained on operating tables for small livestock animals or in wooden chutes made in the form of troughs and trestles.

Dogs are restrained in chutes using straps; they are trained to the chute gradually. To avoid bites, dogs are muzzled or their jaws are bound with a bandage. For surgeries and acute experiments, special operating tables or tables for small animals are used. The head is restrained with a head holder.

When restraining cats without anesthesia, loops made of flannel bandages are placed on the limbs; one student grabs the skin fold on the neck and the forelimbs with their hands, while another grabs the hind limbs. The cat is turned onto its back and tied to a table. The head is restrained with a head holder.

Rabbits and guinea pigs are restrained on wooden or metal tables using tape or special devices. For surgery, these animals are secured on the tables in a dorsal or ventral position.

Poultry are restrained in a rectangular chute. Its dimensions are determined by the size of the bird. A dense fabric with holes for the legs and cannula is stretched over the top plane of the chute. The bird's wings and legs are tied with tapes to the chute frame.

Birds are also held with two hands, grasping the wings and limbs, or wrapped in a towel. For acute experiments and surgeries, birds are restrained with a bandage on operating tables intended for rabbits, or on a special trough-shaped table, using specific chute models depending on the purpose of the experiment.

Mice are usually held with gloved hands or using forceps, grasping them by the nape and tail, while it is better to restrain rats in special boxes. If necessary, anesthesia is applied to them under a bell jar.

Casting of animals is performed on the ground or an operating table to perform surgical procedures.

Casting of horses.

Russian method. It is performed by the efforts of 1—2 people using a special casting strap or a strong rope with a metal ring and a fixed loop at the end. The strap or rope is applied at A. The thoracic limbs are hobbled. While pulling the lead, the horse's head is turned to the side of the casting ring. Using the end of the strap (rope), the pelvic limb is pulled toward the abdominal surface. Then the end of the strap and the lead are pulled towards oneself, simultaneously pressing on the loin area with elbows. In doing so, the animal loses balance and lies down smoothly. After casting, the horse's head is pulled back and pressed to the ground. The limbs are fixed in the position necessary for the operation.

Figure 13 – Methods of casting horses: A – Russian; B – Berlin.

Berlin method. It is performed by the efforts of 4-5 people using fetlock straps with rings and two strong ropes. Execution technique:

Safe restraint and casting livestock animals — is a critical part of veterinary work on any farm. A correctly performed casting minimizes the risk of injury to both the animal itself and the people working with it. For each species of livestock, there are proven patterns for distributing effort and fixing the limbs.

• First rope for casting a horse — 4–5 m
• Second rope for casting a horse — 7–8 m
• Short rope for casting a pig — 4550 cm

When casting a horse, the coordination of the entire work group plays a key role. The procedure is performed by five people using strong ropes and fetlock straps. It is important to clearly distribute duties before starting work to avoid chaotic movements of the animal.

1. Pass the first rope through the rings of all fetlock straps and fasten it securely to the ring of the front limb fetlock on the side opposite to the casting side.
2. Pass the second rope between the thoracic limbs and throw its ends over the withers towards the casting side.
3. Start the casting: one person should pull the horse's head by the halter towards the casting side, the second — in the same direction by the tail, the third — by the free ends of the rope thrown over the withers, and two on the opposite side — by the rope connected to the fetlock straps.

For casting cattle, two main methods are used depending on the number of available workers. The Hess method requires the efforts of three people and one long strong rope. The Caucasian method allows one operator to cast the animal using two ropes.

When using the Hess method, the movable loop of the rope is secured at the base of the horns. One person tilts the animal's head downwards, while two others pull the free end of the rope and the tail towards the casting side. In the Caucasian method (for casting onto the right side), the first rope is tied around the torso in front of the left and behind the right hip bone, and the second is fixed at the base of the horns, wound around the jaws, the free end is passed under the first rope and pulled until the animal lies down.

Casting technique for camels, deer, pigs, and sheep

Working with exotic and smaller animals requires a delicate approach and knowledge of anatomical features. Casting a camel is based on fixing the fetlock areas. Deer are cast by applying pressure to the back, and for sheep and pigs, special loops are used.

Casting a camel begins with applying a rope to the fetlocks of both front limbs. The ropes secured to the fetlock area of the pelvic limbs are passed from below forwards and backwards through the front limb rope, after which they are pulled backwards between the pelvic legs. Casting is carried out by simultaneous tension on the ends of the ropes and jerking the lead.

To cast a deer, a rope or strap with a ring or loop at the end is used. The loop is applied to the limbs and torso. After that, the free end of the rope is pulled and the animal is carefully pressed on the back. Casting sheep is performed using two ropes, which are secured on the casting side, thrown over the torso, and pulled until the animal falls, followed by fixing the legs.

Casting a pig by the Korshunov method is performed using two ropes of different lengths. The short rope is threaded with a ring into a loop and applied to the animal's upper jaw. A longer rope is secured with a movable loop on the lower leg on the casting side, passed under the belly, and threaded into the iron ring of the short rope. By pulling the long rope and turning the pig's head to the side, the casting is performed.

Self-check questions:

• 1. What is fixation?
• 2. How to fix a horse, a cow, a bull?
• 3. How to fix a goat, a sheep, a dog?
• 4. How to fix a cat, a rabbit?
• 5. How to fix a rat, a mouse, a hamster, poultry?
• 6. How to perform the Russian method of casting a horse?
• 7. How to perform the Berlin method of casting a horse?
• 8. How to perform the Hess method of casting cattle?
• 9. How to perform the Caucasian method of casting cattle?
• 10. How to perform the casting of a camel, a deer, a pig, a sheep?