So I’m in my first year of studying animal care and although I understand the practice of docking sheep tails as soon as they’re born and why it Is done I can’t quite wrap my head around how it works medically. I may be wrong but I understood that if you cut off blood flow to an area / limb (like what is done with docking) then that limb becomes necrotic and dies. So how do sheep not get sepsis or other issues while their tail is becoming necrotic and how do they heal after an appendage has suddenly fallen odd? Wouldn’t their be a large wound??
Sorry I hope this makes sense!
In: 3
Germs need an entry point.
Because they do not cut but apply pressure, the bands cause avascular necrosis. The damaged tissue is sort of already sealed off from bacteria establishing a deep infection.
The necrotic tissue left at the periphera after the tail falls off should be perfect bacterial food, except that it has been desiccating with the blood supply removed, and quickly dries out and scabs over where exposed. Deep to that the tissue and vessels are remodeling and so is ready to fight infection.
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