#tail docking

Okay so, this is INSANE! Why don’t they teach this in school??

Apparently, farmers dock their sheep’s tails to prevent some issues, like lambs nipping each other accidentally while playing and cause pigs to go insane over the scent of blood, but overall sheep naturally have them long.

Here’s a pic:

My point is…could the sheep in Woolhaven do a similar thing? Could The Lamb have or used to have a long tail?? It’s just a fun concept that I was thinking about.

Edit: I noticed that one of the reposts mentioned flystrike and I decided to research the topic a bit better. So APPARENTLY docking is done a lot less to prevent nipping but rather to avoid maggot infestations and manure accumulating under the tail. Remember everyone, fact checking is important 😅!

tail docking is a common animal husbandry practice for livestock like sheep, and an aesthetic practice for certain dog breeds, so there are resources out there explaining how to do it safely! here are a few I've found:

the first two focus entirely on sheep, but the methods for canine tails are pretty much the same. the final link talks more about the negative effects. Even when done with "good" intentions like preventing certain common health problems or injuries, or hiding an animalistic feature for social safety, removing a tail is still a risky amputation. If done wrong, it could cause infection. Cutting it too short might cause trouble higher up the spine as well. So your were-folk could have back problems from the tail docking. they might have balance issues too, since a bipedal figure with a tail will walk differently than a bipedal figure without a tail.

It also won't grow back, obviously, and your were-folk are sapient people, so we're not just talking about a physical health concern here. There's a whole social/emotional/mental health thing to worry about too. Unlike livestock, these babies who get their tails docked will grow up to understand what was done to them and they'll probably have some complicated feelings about it.

In the veterinary and human medical communities it used to be thought that neonates didn't feel pain. So once upon a time it would have been considered totally fine to just cut the tails off with no anesthetic. This is no longer best practice. Some states have their own regulations but some of the "old school" vets (i.e. the Dr. Pols of the world) probably still do it without anesthetic. So is there a federal law that says "vets must use a local anesthetic to dock tails"? No. But you'll be hard pressed to find any vet up to date on current science and welfare that doesn't provide pain relief for this procedure. tbh I've never docked tails (I have amputated but that is very different) and I saw it done once as a pre-vet student probably about 10 years ago. That's the only time I've seen it.

Per the AVMA:

"Maryland and Pennsylvania are the only states that have provisions restricting the tail docking of dogs. Pennsylvania prohibits the docking of a dog's tail that is over 5 days old. The law does not prohibit a veterinarian from performing a tail docking procedure if the dog is at least 12 weeks old and the veterinarian is using anesthesia. Between 5 days and 12 weeks of age, tail docking may only be performed if it is deemed medically necessary by a licensed veterinarian. Maryland law provides that only veterinarians may perform the procedure using anesthesia and only when it is appropriate.

gettingvetted here.

The AVMA and AAEP are opposed to tail docking in horses, stating “The American Association of Equine Practitioners is opposed to the alteration of the tail of the horse for cosmetic or competitive purposes.” In general, veterinarians should avoid performing surgical procedures that are cosmetic, not medically necessary, or not for the net benefit of the animal. There is no benefit to the horse in tail docking. Welfare concerns relate less to the pain that might be caused by the procedure and more to the surgery being unnecessary and reducing the tail to the extent that it cannot be used to fend off flies and biting insects. The intact tail is also useful to the horse for displays of mental and physiological states (for example, being in heat).

Did you know sheep are born with tails?

“Aussies with tails can’t be from reputable breeders”

“All Aussies with tails are ugly”

“Leaving tails ruins the breed”

“I question a breeders ethics if they leave tails”

“Going against the breed standard and leaving tails is the worst crime ever omg”

Obviously that last one is a bit of an exaggeration but so many people in the breed feel this way. I think a tail has many benefits and I think it’s silly to judge a dog based solely on an appendage. More and more US breeders are leaving tails and seeing benefits in performance Dogs. I know plenty of good US breeders who are reputable / ethical and choose to leave tails.

And the European dogs are beautiful. I don’t think tails “ruin the Aussie silhouette” at all.

(These dogs are all from a top breeder in Denmark, proven in multiple venues).