***Nobody dehorns a cow. ***
I’ve dehorned many a cow. There is a special set of dehorners just for larger cows. We would rope the cow by the head and rear hoofs, stretch her out then go at the horns. We’ve even used regular saws when we could not get a dehorner.
The last one I did was a bull. I took him to the vet who paralyzed him with a small electrical charge, then put the dehorners on him. His horns were gone in just a few seconds. He then put a powder on to stop the bleeding, and a patch covered with pine tar.
Never lost a cow after dehorning. A neighbor did have a cow die while it was being done from a heart attack. We immediately butchered the cow.
Google cow dehorners, then hit image and you will see the large dehorners we used.
[ We would rope the cow by the head and rear hoofs, stretch her out then go at the horns. We’ve even used regular saws when we could not get a dehorner. ]
Grew up on a farm, never did the “old west style” of cow working, always herded them into the feedlot area and used a chute to do all the work on them. Could never see why some ranchers who had access to chutes and feedlots would still do it “circle wagons style” like they were still living in the 1880’s if they could help not doing it.
You mean you immediately mutilated the cow. Don't think you used a machete though.