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Caustic burn
Synonym(s): Disbudding paste
Introduction
- Cause: chemical damage to skin from disbudding paste or other chemical irritant.
- Signs: skin irritation.
- Diagnosis: history of contact with chemical irritant.
- Treatment: protect from further damage and assess for secondary bacterial infection.
- Prognosis: good.
Geographic incidence
- Occurs in countries that permit the use of disbudding paste.
Age predisposition
- If associated with the use of caustic paste, then this presentation is only likely to be seen in young calves and their dams.
- Hornex is only recommend to be used in calves more than 5 days and less than 7 days.
Public health considerations
- Disbudding paste is corrosive and the operator must wear protective clothing; wear household rubber gloves, heavy duty overalls and eye/face protection when applying the product.
Special risks
- Potential for the development of mastitis, in the dam, if substantial damage to the udder is sustained.
- Potential damage and potential loss of eye should disbudding paste make contact with the eye.
Pathogenesis
Etiology
- Chemical damage to skin by contact from caustic disbudding paste, can be due to:
- Over-application of the paste.
- Failure to apply protective Vaseline/petroleum jelly on surrounding skin.
- Failure to keep the calf separate from other calves and/or dam for at least half an hour following application of the paste.
- Failure to keep the calf inside or away from rain/wet for at least 1.5 h after application of the paste.
Pathophysiology
- Caustic substance in disbudding paste causes damage to the skin cells while the chemical is in contract with the skin.
- The active ingredient in disbudding pastes are either sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) or potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) or calcium hydroxide.
Timecourse
- Chemical damage occurs rapidly following direct contact with the caustic disbudding paste and persists while the chemical is in contact with the skin.
Diagnosis
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Treatment
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Prevention
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Outcomes
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Further Reading
Publications
Refereed Papers
- Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
- Vickers K J, Niel L, Kiehlbauch L M & Weary D M (2005) Calf response to caustic paste and hot-iron dehorning using sedation with and without local anesthetic. J Dairy Sci 88 (4), 1454-1459 PubMed.
Other sources of information
- Dehorning.com - A science-based resource for information, research and trends in cattle dehorning. Website: www.dehorning.com. Last accessed 13th October 2017.
- Hornex datasheet.