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PROVIDING PAIN RELIEF
Protocols for
NSAID
use
David says: ‘We always want to do
what’s best for the animals but it’s also got
to be cost-effective.’
At Axford Farm, the administration of NSAIDs
has been incorporated into the farm’s health
protocols. They can be administered by
David, his herdsmen and stockman.
In cases of E.coli mastitis, the protocol is to
administer an injectable antibiotic plus an
NSAID. This combination therapy works
well, believes David.
‘As long as we are quick to spot the
problem, we see a quicker recovery and a
better cure rate,’ says David. ‘And we save
more quarters than we used to, I’m sure.’
‘Giving an NSAID we are trying to head
things off before they go wrong. These are
finely tuned animals and we have to sharpen
our act.’
David fully appreciates that it is important to
get sick cows back on their feet and eating
again. ‘The modern Holstein dairy cow is a
highly tuned animal and can go off the rails
a lot more quickly than the old Friesians.
‘So cows which have required some help
and intervention at calving will be given an
NSAID to help them recover and regain their
appetite. If they’re off their feed for too long,
there will be an empty rumen which could
9
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
Cornish dairy farmer David Stroud of Axford
Farm near Callington remembers NSAIDs
being used selectively by his previous vet,
over fifteen years ago when he was farming
in Oxfordshire.
Since moving to Cornwall, David has been
receiving veterinary input from Stuart Gough
and his colleagues at the Calweton vet
practice. He has fortnightly fertility checks
plus weekly visits from Stuart to monitor the
‘big picture’ on the health and performance
of his 200-cow pedigree Holstein herd.
This high input herd has average yields
of 9,500 litres/cow and is fed on a
complete TMR system with cows grazed
outdoors in summer.
then lead to an LDA - and that’s a ‘bigger
hill to climb’.’
Similarly, if a cow has a swollen hock, then
she’ll be given an antibiotic and an NSAID.
‘We want to keep them moving and not lying
down feeling miserable,’ says David.
‘And if our calves get pneumonia, then we
administer an NSAID so that inflammation
is reduced more quickly, and feed
intakes regained.’
Stuart adds: ‘Mastitis, lameness, LDAs,
insufficient energy intakes - these are all
examples of health problems which are factors
leading to reduced fertility and/or an increased
chance of an animal being culled from the
herd. NSAID use reduces the impact of these
problems - both in the short and long term -
and so the financial benefits are in fact, huge.
‘NSAID usage in beef suckler herds has also
increased for these same reasons, despite this
sector having historically had a more cautious
attitude to using additional medicines.
‘Production and welfare have to go hand in
hand. And with NSAIDs, there is a definite
production benefit in improving animal
welfare, as David and his staff will testify.’
David Stroud