Teat injuries impair milk flow leading to a higher risk of mastitis. Since healthy cows with four functioning teats are essential to dairy production, an economical procedure, such as distal teat amputations, to treat these injuries is necessary. The objectives were to describe the distal teat amputation procedure and determine the long-term outcomes of cows treated with a distal amputation. The hypothesis is that cows with internal streak canal damage and subsequent difficulty milking will have improved milking efficiency with the machine following a distal amputation. Medical records from the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal from 2015 to 2021 were included if the cow had a distal teat amputation performed. Twenty-two cows, all Holsteins, with 23 affected teats were included. Cows had a mean age of 3.7 years. Common presenting complaints included difficulty milking (9/23), distal teat lacerations (5/23), and crushing/pinching injuries (3/23). Over half had mastitis in the affected quarter on arrival. Most injured teats involved the hind quarters (19/23). Post-operative complications of the distally amputated teat included development of mastitis (10/23), swelling (2/23), and a second surgery (2/23). All cows were discharged alive. Sixteen cows had long-term information available with eight remaining in the herd at least one lactation following surgery. The proximal portion of the streak canal must be intact for this procedure to be considered. Limitations included missing medical record information, small sample size, and unavailable or incomplete follow-up information. Distal teat amputations, when used appropriately, can restore function in lactating dairy cows.
