Old McDonald had a farm (e-i-e-i-o) and on his farm he had a cow (e-i-e-i-o).
Old McDonald may have had a farm and he may have had a cow, but Old McDonald never had a cow like the ones at Ohio State.
Cows with windows, also known as cannulated cows, are part of a study that OSU’s Ruminant Nutrition Department is conducting on the nutrition of domestic animals. Cannulated cows are similar to any other cow with one exception – they are fitted with a canula, or a small window. The window allows researchers to study what goes on in the rumen, one of the cow’s four stomachs.
While the procedure may sound like a form of cruel and unusual punishment, the process doesn’t really hurt the cows. A canula is placed on a cow through a surgery done when it is two to three years old. The surgery lasts about an hour, and the cow is anesthetized, so it doesn’t experience any pain.
Cannulating cows doesn’t affect their ability to function as a normal cow. They are still able to produce milk and their digestive systems are not inhibited in any way. After the procedure, the cows can be used in a variety of different types of research most of which help improve the health of the species. For this reason, cannulating cows is an extremely effective method of research.
Cutting a hole in a cow in the name of research could be considered animal cruelty by some animal rights activists; however, keeping any animal in captivity is also considered cruel by the same groups of people. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals “believes that animals deserve the most basic rights – consideration of their own best interests regardless of whether they are useful to humans.”
For that reason they also believe animals should not be used for food, clothing, entertainment or experimentation. But if organizations like PETA really cared about the well-being of animals then they would support research, such as cannulation because it will improve the health of the cows.
While the usage of these cows may conflict with some people’s beliefs, cannulated cows are actually a helpful addition to any herd. Some farmers even keep the cows on hand as rumen fluid donors. The fluid in the cows rumen contains thousands of microbes which are useful in fighting off harmful organisms. When another cow is sick the fluid in a cannulated cow can be extracted and used to cure illnesses. So essentially the cows with windows are healthier than other, non-cannulated cows.
