We examined several procedures for surgical tail docking; with and without general anaesthesia (GA), including the use of a topical
wound gel formulation to provide
pain relief (PR) and improve healing after surgery, containing local anaesthetics
lignocaine and
bupivacaine, with
cetrimide and adrenalin. Forty-four lambs were recruited into four equal cohorts: Groups A and C, the tail was excised with a scalpel without anaesthesia or stitches; Groups B and D, the tail was surgically excised and stitched under GA; Groups C and D
wounds were immediately sprayed with PR. Behavioural observations identified that Groups A and C displayed significantly less
pain-related behaviours than Groups B and D shortly after the procedure, especially if treated with PR. Similarly, the mean of days when animals showed no signs of
wound infection was longer in the groups not undergoing stitching. Finally, treatment with PR appeared to reduce the
cortisol response and avoided the elevation of
serum amyloid A in lambs where the tail was excised without general anaesthesia. In conclusion, surgical tail-docking without GA but where
wounds are immediately sprayed with PR, appears as an affordable and more welfare-appropriate method for conducting tail docking in lambs.