Chemical disbudding of goat kids with subcutaneous administration of synthetic eugenol: Histopathology and morphometry

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of subcutaneous administration of synthetic eugenol (EG) for disbudding of goat kids, as a new chemical method. Thirty apparently healthy Raieni (Cashmere) goat kids (five-day-old) were divided randomly into six groups (n = 5). In the pathology (P) groups (P(3), P(8) and P(60) according to the sample collection day after injection) an amount of 0.10 mL of EG was subcutaneously administrated in both horn buds. In the disbudding 1 and 2 (DB(1), DB(2)) groups, 0.10 mL of EG, and in the control (C) group 0.10 mL normal saline was subcutaneously injected in the right horn buds, respectively. Eugenol injection in DB(2) group was done in twelve-day-old goat kids. The left horn buds of DB(1), DB(2) and C groups were considered as control of horn outgrowing. The horn buds, kidneys, liver, lung, brain and heart, tissue specimens were collected from P(3) and P(8) groups, and bud skin samples were collected from P(60 )group. The results showed that the EG was able to stop the horn growth in the first week of goat life. There was no significant difference between left and right horn size in the C group. Histopathological study revealed complete necrosis of bud tissue in dermal and epidermal layers, in P(3) animals. Healing and re-epithelialization were seen in the samples taken from P(8 )group. Subcutaneous injection of the synthetic EG can be considered as a new method for goat kids disbudding.