The use of skin grafts in the management of dehorning complications in West African Dwarf Bucks

Abstract

Four West African Dwarf (WAD) bucks were presented with overgrown horns at
Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.
Dehorning was performed using standard surgical procedure. Fourteen days postsurgery, autogenous-skin graft was performed on the bucks when they had closure
failure of the frontal sinuses following dehorning. Standard surgical and anaesthetic
techniques were adopted in harvesting circular (2cm in diameter) full-thickness skin
grafts from both sides of the abdomen of the bucks; grafts were made on the recipient
beds after debriding the excess granulation tissue. Complete inosculation of the
vessels and healing was observed on the grafts by fourteenth day post-grafting. The
surgical wound of the donor sites healed without complications. Tension–releasingincision was suggested as an alternative to autogenous-grafting in other to minimize
post-surgical complications associated with double surgery in autogenous-skin
grafting and the anaesthetic risks of the patients. Disbudding at early stage of life in
bucks prone to in-growing horns is recommended to animal owners as a
management practice to avoid horn overgrowth at older stage.