Distance Education Program in Shelter Medicine, Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Animal Care & Control, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Charlotte, NC, USA and Spay Neuter Clinic of the Carolinas, Charlotte, NC, USA.
J Feline Med Surg. 2022 Oct;24(10):e302-e309. doi: 10.1177/1098612X221105843. Epub 2022 Jun 28.
Ear-tipping practices and the meaning of the ear tip in trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs have not been well documented. The purpose of this study was to report the frequency of common ear-tipping practices in the USA, to identify the most effective methods and to establish a foundation for ear-tipping practice standards.
An anonymous 24-question survey was advertised from 4 to 20 October 2021 to individuals who participate in TNR programs that routinely perform ear tipping.
There were 526 survey responses from individuals who participate in TNR programs, of whom 410 completed the survey. For ear-tip meaning, nearly 100% of respondents indicated that an ear tip meant that a cat had been sterilized. Several respondents answered that it also indicated rabies vaccination or socialization status, with 92 (22%) selecting both, 79 (19%) selecting rabies only and 50 (12%) selecting unsocial only. The majority of respondents tipped the left ear (81%), used a visual estimate to determine the cut (92%) and described the ideal silhouette as straight across (92%). The median percentage of cats where ear tips bled after initial hemostasis was 5% (interquartile range [IQR] 2-10), and the median percentage of negative feedback regarding the ear tip was 1% (IQR 0-5). In terms of weighted rank order, the most common feedback was that too much ear tip was removed (5.5), followed by a cat being ear tipped in error (4.7), persistent bleeding (4.2) and not enough ear tip being removed (4.2). Responses revealed heterogeneity regarding technique for both excision and hemostasis, as well as personnel performing the procedure. There were no significant associations between techniques and bleeding or negative feedback.
There is variation in the methods for performing an ear tip, as well as what an ear tip signifies. Standards for this procedure would be helpful.
耳部剪口在捕捉-绝育-释放（TNR）项目中的做法和意义尚未得到充分记录。本研究的目的是报告美国常见耳部剪口做法的频率，确定最有效的方法，并为耳部剪口操作标准奠定基础。
2021 年 10 月 4 日至 20 日，向经常进行耳部剪口的 TNR 项目参与者发布了一份匿名的 24 个问题调查。
共有 526 名参与 TNR 项目的个人对调查做出了回应，其中 410 人完成了调查。对于耳部剪口的含义，近 100%的受访者表示，耳部剪口意味着猫已经绝育。一些受访者回答说，这也表明了狂犬病疫苗接种或社会化状态，其中 92（22%）人选择了两者，79（19%）人选择了狂犬病，50（12%）人选择了不社会化。大多数受访者剪左侧耳朵（81%），使用视觉估计来确定切口（92%），并描述理想的耳尖形状为笔直（92%）。最初止血后，耳部剪口出血的猫的中位数百分比为 5%（四分位距[IQR] 2-10），关于耳部剪口的负面反馈的中位数百分比为 1%（IQR 0-5）。在加权等级顺序方面，最常见的反馈是切除的耳尖过多（5.5），其次是猫被错误地剪了耳尖（4.7）、持续出血（4.2）和切除的耳尖不够（4.2）。结果表明，在切除和止血技术以及执行该程序的人员方面，存在着技术上的差异。技术与出血或负面反馈之间没有显著关联。
耳部剪口的操作方法以及耳部剪口的含义存在差异。制定该程序的标准将是有帮助的。
