The power of pain relief

An upswing in pain relief use for cattle is showing positive results for animal health and welfare.

Samantha Tennent

The dairy sector has seen a surge in pain relief usage, increasing 70% over the past four seasons, according to data from Welfarm. With more farmers reaching for pain relief to support their animals when they are sick and as a precaution for routine procedures, it is positive news all round.

Veterinarian and Welfarm user Sara Berryman, from Vetsouth, is pleased to see the increase.

She says that cows given pain relief they are more likely to turn themselves around faster and the quicker they are back to eating and behaving normally, the quicker they are back to producing milk.

Cattle are prey animals and are adept at masking signs of pain until it becomes severe. And traditionally, it hasn’t been top of a farmer’s mind to grab pain relief to treat them. But a big shift in mindset and more research has helped the sector see the benefits.

In a trial using pain relief with antibiotics in cows with mastitis, there was a 16% increased cure rate, a decreased need to use extended antibiotic treatment courses, and, even better, subsequent increases in reproductive performance.

Mastitis cows treated with pain relief in combination with antibiotics had a 10% increase in their conception rates at first service and required fewer inseminations to conceive.

The numbers also show that somatic cell counts can be lower in cows that have received pain relief, and there is a reduced risk they will be removed from the herd when compared with treating with antibiotics alone.

Pain relief is also applicable for routine procedures like disbudding calves, with studies showing that administering pain relief along with local anaesthesia during disbudding improves calf welfare and productivity.

Calves that receive pain relief show faster recovery and reach weaning weight sooner compared to those without pain relief.

And in 2020, a UK study focused on the effectiveness of various treatments for lame cows. Initially, newly lame cows were divided into four groups and each group was given a different treatment regime. After 35 days, the cows were assessed to determine their cure rates.

The study found the most successful treatment, by a significant margin, was the combination of a hoof block and three days of pain relief in addition to corrective trimming. When compared with corrective trimming alone, this combination more than doubles the cure rate.

When the treatment period shortens, the cow will improve its productivity, condition and fertility faster, and be more profitable in the long run. This is particularly important with lame cows early in the season or during mating.

As consumer awareness over the production of dairy products grows, including pain relief in animal health management not only enhances cow welfare but also aligns with the ethical standards expected by consumers.

Chat to your veterinarian for guidance on selecting the most appropriate pain relief options for your cows and to aid in decision-making for your team.

Ensure your team members receive thorough training in administering pain relief and understand when and how to use it, and utilise Welfarm to benchmark your usage regionally and nationally.■

Samantha Tennent is the general manager of Welfarm.