33 – Bovine Pain Management

Question 1

Pain

Answer 1

• Unpleasant SENSORY and EMOTIONAL experience associated with TISSUE DAMAGE
• subjective
• changes in behaviour, slow growth, impaired breeding, stress, and disregard of care: CAN BE MEASURED

Question 2

Pain indicators:

Answer 2

• No GOLD STANDARD
• Many studies look at MULTIPLE OUTCOMES
  o Validated
  o Appropriate based on specific procedure
  o Repeatable/reproducible

Question 3

What are the positives of the animal protection act: code of practices?

Answer 3

• Dynamic document that evolves based on scientific evidence

Question 4

What are the negatives of the animal protection act: code of practices?

Answer 4

• Shaped by industry standards
• Loose requirements based on resource-based measurements

Question 5

Vet oath and CVMA’s position statements

Answer 5

• *more ‘strong’ or direct
• Ex. use anesthesia and analgesia is used and at a young age VS. only if over 6 months of age

Question 6

Painful procedures in the cattle

Answer 6

• Castration (beef)
• De-budding (dairy)
• Branding (beef)
• Other: lameness, injury, dystocia
• *if vets think it will be painful they will use NSAIDs
• *less use NSAIDs during dehorning and disbudding

Question 7

What are 3 areas for ‘deciding’ to use analgesia (ex. in de-horning and disbudding)

Answer 7

• Cost
• Efficacy
• Practicality
• *if no solution in the ‘middle’=may be why they are not using analgesia

Question 8

Survey (published 2017) on castrating and dehorning at specific ages

Answer 8

• Usually in young animals
• Not many using pain control
  o Likely increased since then (at least for those over 6 months of age)
  o For dehorning=must use analgesia now

Question 9

New survey from 2024 on castration and dehorning

Answer 9

• 20% more are using some pain mitigation when they didn’t use it before
• Those not using analgesia=at a young age
• *general trend that people are more willing to find and use medication available

Question 10

What are the code of practice requirements for castration in beef cattle?

Answer 10

• Do it as young as possible (preferably <1 week)
• Must be performed by competent personnel using proper instruments
• Seek guidance from vet on method, timing and pain control
• Use pain control to mitigate pain associated with castration in bulls older than 6 months
• SURVEY: *heavier the animal: more involved the vet was

Question 11

What are the code of practice requirements for castration in dairy cattle?

Answer 11

• Must be done as early as possible using local anesthesia and systemic analgesia
• *less is done in dairy=can be a bit more restrictive

Question 12

What are the methods of castration?

Answer 12

• Banding: popular for younger animals
• Burdizzo (‘crushing: less used)
• Surgical/newberry knife + emasculator
• *falls off faster in older animals

Question 13

Literature summary of castration

Answer 13

• All methods cause pain
• Banding may be slightly less pain, but might get secondary infection and inflammation
  o Swelling up to 5 weeks
• Surgical swelling: 2 weeks
• Preferred method is based on age and experience
• *youngest=less signs of pain observed

Question 14

Dehorning/disbudding code of practice: beef

Answer 14

• Disbud as early as possible
• Dehorning: must be by competent personnel using proper instruments
• Seek guidance from vet on pain control
• Use pain control to mitigate pain associated with dehorning after horn bud attachment

Question 15

Dehorning/disbudding code of practice: dairy

Answer 15

• Must be done by 2 months of age
  o Only in exceptional circumstances can it be done past that
• Banding is not acceptable for dehorning
• Use local anesthesia and systemic analgesia
• If large horns must be removed, bleeding must be controlled

Question 16

Different methods for disbudding/dehorning

Answer 16

• Caustic paste
• Hot iron
• Keystone dehorner
• Gouge
• Horn cutter
• Wire saw
• Barnes type scoop dehorner

Question 17

Branding code of practice beef (dairy cattle must not be branded)

Answer 17

• Must be ID using an approved ear tag
• Must have proper equipment, restraint and by competent personnel (hot iron vs. freeze branding)
• Do NOT bran wet cattle due to risk of scalding

Question 18

Pain mitigation strategies: general

Answer 18

• Procedures much less invasive in YOUNG ANIMALS
  o Wound is smaller=less blood loss
  o Recovery more quickly
• Performed by COMPETENT OPERATOR using clean, properly maintain tools
• SHOULD NOT BE PERFORMED during times when animals will be EXPERIENCING OTHER STRESSORS

Question 19

What are some drugs used for pian control?

Answer 19

• *multimodal analgesia is the best approach
• Anesthetics: short-lived numbness in local region, requires precise administration and time to be effective
• Analgesics: block/inhibit pain systemically for hours/days, USER-FRIENDLY administration (IM, SC, oral, pour-on)

Question 20

Meloxicam

Answer 20

• NSAID (anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-pyretic)
• Label claim: diarrhea, pain relief following DISBUDDING in calves less than 3 months of age, mastitis, abdominal surgery and C-section
  o ONLY ONE
• Single SC or IV injection
• Plasma half life: 17.5hr, calves 26hr
• *can’t be slaughter for food for at least 20 days

Question 21

Meloxicam: oral suspension

Answer 21

• Label claim: alleviation of pain and inflammation following surigical and band CASTRATION in cattle
• *should give ~1-2hrs PRIOR to castration procedure
• Half life: 28hr, calves 40hr
• *can’t be used for food for at least 35 days

Question 22

Flunixin meglumine

Answer 22

• NSAID (anit-inflammatory and anti-pyretic)
• Label claim: control of inflammation associated with endotexemia and foot rot
• IV or pour on: more practical for some producers
• Half life: 3.1, calves 6.8 (topical: 6.4hr)
• *at least 6 days meat withdrawal

Question 23

Ketoprofen

Answer 23

• NSAID (anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-pyretic)
• Label claim: fever, pain and inflammation with variety of conditions
• IV or IM
• Half life: 2hrs, calves 0.4 hrs
  o SHORT
• *at least 24 hour meat withdrawal

Question 24

Lidocaine

Answer 24

• Label claim: local anesthetic agent for infiltration, nerve blocking or epidural anesthesia
  o Can do with epinephrine
• SC or IM
• *not slaughtered for at least 5 days
• *buffered with sodium bicarbonate (3:1 or 10:1)

Question 25

Anesthesia (lidocaine) for dehorning

Answer 25

• Cornual nerve block with local anesthesia
• pre-emptive analgesia/anti-inflammatory drugs

Question 26

Anesthesia (lidocaine) for castration

Answer 26

• intratesticular/ring block spermatic cord-neck scrotum/epidural

Question 27

Xylazine

Answer 27

• sedative, some analgesic and muscle relaxant properties
• label claim: dehorning and castration

Question 28

Acetylsalicylic acid

Answer 28

• anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-pyretic effects
• label claim: use as an aid in symptomatic relief of pain

Question 29

*What are the 4 S’s of livestock pain management?

Answer 29

1. Suppress
2. Substitute
3. Soothe
4. Supplement

Question 30

Suppress

Answer 30

• When possible, make changes so procedure is NO longer than necessary
• Ex. polled genetics

Question 31

Substitute

Answer 31

• Refine how procedure is preformed to reduce pain
• Ex. disbudding, alternative ID methods, immune castration

Question 32

Soothe

Answer 32

• Use analgesics and anesthetics to prevent pain before the procedure starts
• Ex. NSAIDs, lidocaine, xylazine

Question 33

Supplement

Answer 33

• Back up the initial plain mitigation with longer-acting analgesic
• Ex. long-lasting NSAID, lidocaine bands