Animal Health E-lesson: Bleeding Caudectomy Procedures

Follow the steps below to perform a caudectomy procedure:

1. Prepare the workplace.

2. Select appropriate materials, tools, and equipment. 

3. Safely restrain the animal with appropriate physical (mechanical) and chemical restraints:

• Hands or a rope can be used for physically restrain small animals
• Tranquilizers and/or local anesthesia can be used to chemically restrain animals (local anesthesia is enough for small and docile animals).
• An assistant should catch and restrain the animal so that the operator can keep his/her hands free from contaminants.

4. Clean the operation site:

• The tail should be cleaned and swabbed with an antiseptic (dilute Pevidine or Hibitane solution)

5. Dehair (shaving) the operation site.

6. Disinfect the operation site.

7. Use appropriate anesthetics.

8. Cut off the tail (incision) using a clean scalpel or razor blade.

• The scalpel or razor blade used should not be used for any other purpose and should be placed in an antiseptic liquid such as povidone-iodine (“Pevidine”) or chlorhexidine gluconate (“Hibitane”) before and after each use. 

9. Cauterise the tail (stop bleeding) using a hot iron.

10. Use appropriate antiseptics on the wound site:

• A wound powder or spray (eg. Terramycin aerosol) to the stump may help prevent infection.

11. Follow up with proper post-operative care:

• Anti-biotherapy