Experimental reconstruction of teat cutaneous wound by ear skin graft in dairy cattle

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Teat lacerations are serious injuries that<br />endanger the survival of a cow within the herd. In excessive<br />lacerations, the wound should be left to heal by second intention<br />healing process. However, tissue contraction during healing can<br />change the alignment of the teat, creating problems for machine<br />milking. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to<br />evaluate the transplantation of the full-thickness free skin graft<br />in excessive teat lacerations. METHODS: Four healthy, nonpregnant,<br />mixed Holstein-Friesian dairy cows with normal teats<br />were used in the study. Under local anesthesia, a rectangular full<br />thickness excision (2 Cm×2 Cm) was made on the lateral surface<br />of the proximal part of the right and left fore teats of each cow,<br />and simultaneously a rectangular full-thickness free skin graft<br />(1.5 Cm×1.5 Cm) was harvested from the inner surface of the left<br />pinna. The graft was then meshed and transplanted to the left teat<br />defect. During a three-week study, the wound healing was<br />evaluated clinically and at the end of the study, histopathologic<br />samples (H &E staining) were taken from both wounds.<br />RESULTS: The results of this study demonstrated that in nongrafted<br />wounds, severe wound contraction caused a deformity in<br />normal anatomical structure of the teats. However, in grafted<br />wounds successful graft take was recorded in all wounds, and the<br />teats restored their functional and anatomical structure with<br />satisfactory cosmetic appearance. CONCLUSIONS:According to<br />the result of present study, it can be concluded that using fullthickness<br />free mesh skin graft can be considered a suitable<br />method for treatment of excessive teat lacerations.