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SUMMER 2013 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
10
PROVIDING PAIN RELIEF
Thank you to Boehringer Ingelheim for their
support with this article.
NSAIDs explained
In all animals (and humans), tissue
swelling or inflammation is a reaction
to trauma or infection.
Before the advent of NSAIDs (non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs), vets would use
steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce
swelling and limit tissue damage. However
these do not have pain relieving effects.
NSAIDs, not only give pain relief which is
positive for animal welfare, but along with
the anti-inflammatory effect, also have an
anti-pyretic effect (i.e. reduce fever) which
helps speed recovery rate.
There are now a number of NSAIDs
available on the market: they can be
administered subcutaneously or
intramuscularly, and some can provide
pain relief for up to three days.
Most NSAID use is in the treating of
cases of mastitis - which is literally, an
inflammation of the udder tissue. In the short
term, mastitis inhibits milk production as
resources are diverted to the inflammatory
response, and white blood cells are
recruited to combat the infection - increasing
SCC levels in milk and thereby reducing its
quality. However, a consequence of the
inflammation is that mammary tissue can be
permanently damaged. Long term, this can
reduce the milk production of the quarter and
increase the risk of the animal being culled
for poor production. As well as providing
pain relief, an NSAID will limit tissue
damage. When an NSAID is used in
addition to antibiotic therapy, SCC can be
further reduced.
Pneumonia infections produce a big
inflammatory response in the lungs. As well
as causing pain and fever, this damages
the tissue leaving it scarred with reduced
functionality. Using NSAIDs to treat
pneumonia infections in calves will limit the
scarring, make the animal ‘feel better’ and
resume eating again sooner. This ultimately
results in a better outcome in the long term,
most significantly through increased weight
gains. Similarly, NSAIDs are beneficial in
cases of scour, restoring function to the gut
walls, and getting calves back to the feed
bucket again.
At disbudding, calves can benefit
significantly from an NSAID, to provide
pain relief for when the effects of the local
anaesthetic have worn off.
NSAIDs are frequently used to reduce pain
in lameness cases, and are also routinely
used by vets in advance of performing
surgical operations - LDAs, Caesareans, etc.