Restraining and handling

of animals
 RESTRAINING AND HANDLING

Restraining refers to put the animal under control for doing something
Handling refers to the way that someone deals with a situation or person
 The handler’s body language, tone of voice, eye contact, and physical
movements can influence the patient’s behaviour greatly
 In order to adhere to this standard, the veterinary assistant must be well
trained and skilled in the art of restraint
 Animal patients can harm handlers, and the handler can likewise harm the
patient if they are not careful and sufficiently trained
The least restraint is often the best restraint.
Why we restrain animal ?
 For general examination
 For collection of sample
 For treatment
Goals of restraining ?

 To protect the animal

 To protect yourself
 To protect your co-workers
 To complete the desire procedure safely
Personal Safety

One of the most dangerous occupations

 Death rate: 21 workers per 100,000
 Disabling accidents per year --110,000
 Every year 4.5 million people are bitten by a dog in the USA

Reasons
 Human error
 Being tired
 Not paying attention
 Using poor judgment
 METHODS OF RESTRAINING

Basically 4 methods

1. Verbal restraining
2. Manual or physical restraining
3. Chemical restraining
4. Combination method
1. Verbal restraining

 Speak to animal when approaching it

 Use the animals name
 Many pet animals know commands such as:- SIT, STAND, STAY, COME,
DOWN and NO etc.
 Also, soft quiet words can calm a frightened animal.
 Screaming should never be used as it can cause the animal to become more
fearful or aggressive.
 2. Physical restraining

Different tools can be used to physically

restrain the animal
 RESTRAINGING OF DOG

 Primary weapons of dog is long and sharp teeth

 Most of the dogs are fear biters

warnings of aggression ?
 Gaze at you
 Piloerection
 Roaring or barking
 Tail flagging
 Removing dogs from cages

 Leash (rope)
 Leather gloves
 Muzzle
 Rabies stick
 MUZZLES

 Necessary for the safety of handler

 Commercially available muzzle are of different types
 Can be home made in emergency
 Muzzle can be made up of:
 Leather
 Wire
 Nylon
 Gauze
Rabies pole

 The rabies pole is used to capture

a dog or cat when you cannot put
your hands on it
 This could be used to remove a
dog or cat from a cage or to
capture an animal that got loose in
the hospital 
Restraint dog for physical examination

The dog can be restraint in

 Standing position
 Sitting position
 Lateral recumbence
 STANDING POSITION

 Place one arm under the dog’s neck

 Place the other arm under the abdomen
 Close to your body
 SITTING POSITION

 Place one arm under the dog’s neck

 Place the other arm around the hindquarter
 LATERAL RECUMBENCY

 Reach across the dog’s back and hold the forelegs and hind legs
closest to you
 Left the dog’s legs off the table or floor
 Exert pressure on the side of dog’s head
 RESTRAINT FOR VENIPUNCTURE

Mainly three vein

1. jugular vein
2. Cephalic vein
3. Saphenous vein

 Place the animal in sitting or sternal recumbence

 Hold the front leg by placing the palm of one hand
 Compress the cephalic vein with the thumb
 RESTRAINING OF CAT

Different devices used for cat restraining

 Cat bag
 Towel wrap
RESTRAINING OF CATTLE AND BUFFALO

Tail twitch
 Keep both hand close to the base of the tail
 stand to one side to avoid being kicked

Nose lead
 used mainly to control head
 it is done for hoof, udder examination and for IV injection
Nose lead
HALTERING CATTLE AND BUFFALO

 Primary method to control cattle

 Mainly used in beef cattle
 Made up of cotton and nylon
 CASTING CATTLE AND BAFFALO

To cast an animal you need

 Halter to apply
 Two helper
 A 10-12m long and strong rope
TWO METHODS :
1. Burley method
2. Rope squeeze
BURLEY METHOD

 While the cow is being held by a strong halter or by a nose lead

 A piece of rope is placed over her back with its centre at the withers
 The ends are carried between the forelegs and crossed at the sternum
 One end is carried up each side of the animal's body and the two are crossed
again over the back
 Each end passes downward between the rear legs going between the inner
surface of the legs and under the udder or scrotum
 When the ends of the rope are pulled, the cow will fall
 The operator may control the direction of the fall by pulling the casting ropes
so that the animal is forced to one side or the other
BURLEY METHOD
ADVANTAGES OF BURLEY METHOD

 It is simply passed around the animal's body which takes less time
 Second, this restraint does not put pressure over the thorax and thus does
not interfere with the action of the heart and lungs
 Third, it does not endanger the genital organs of the bull or the mammary
vessels of the cow
 Finally, with this restraint both rear legs may be tied with the ends of the
casting rope.
ROPE SQUEEZE METHOD

 Make a loop around the cow's neck as indicated in the drawing.

 Throw the end of the rope over her back to the opposite side.
 Reaching under the cow, pick it up an bring it around her body to form a half
hitch just behind the shoulder.
 Make another half hitch just in from of the udder
 Pulling the rope will force the cow to lie down.
ROPE SQUEEZE METHOD
EQUINE RESTRAINING

Control points in horse

 Lips
 Gums
 ears
 Bridge of the nose
 Skin of shoulders and neck
 Poll (area behind ears)
 SKIN TWITCH

 Simply skin distraction

 Need no special devices
 Grab a large area of loose skin on neck
 Squeeze it as hard as possible
 Use for mild to moderate restraining
 THE TRADITIONAL TWITCH

 Simple instrument
 Composed of a wood handle with a rope at one end
 Stand along one side of horse
 Grasp its nose between index finger and thumb
 Slide the rope on upper lip
 THE HUMANE” TWITCH

 Available in different styles

 Basic mechanism is similar to that traditional twitch
 It is simple and more easy to use
 Scissor like jaws grasp the nose
 The device can be fixed by a chain at the lower end
 THE EAR TWITCH

 More ancient method of restraining

 More easy
 Quick method of short term restraining
 May damage ear cartilage by rough handling
 HOBBLES

 Restrict animal physical movement

 Different types
 Difficult for a horse to escape
 Becomes more docile
 THE CRADLE

 Simple device
 Prevent horse from damaging wounds on body or legs
 Prevent horses from disrupting the bandages
 CHEMICAL RESTRAINING

 Sedative and anaesthetics are used

 More helpful in young horses. This method is used
when the patient is difficult to handle or in pain
 Such drugs have some side effects so must be used carefully
 Drugs used as sedative are acepromazine.
THANKS