Marking time will soon be upon us once again and with the welcome addition of a new pain relief product over-the-counter (OTC) in rural reseller stores, there is no better time to remind producers of the importance of providing adequate pain relief to calves and lambs at marking.
Marking procedures are carried out to promote the long-term welfare of production animals as well as to reduce the risk of injury to their handlers. The procedures themselves, however, pose animal welfare concerns as they are known to be painful, says technical services veterinarian for Troy Animal Healthcare Dr Claire Hunt.
“Identification of pain in lambs and calves can be difficult because, as prey animals, they are intrinsically wired to hide pain as a survival mechanism,” she said. “The outward perceived demonstration of a lack of pain post-procedure does not mean we should turn a blind eye to understanding the need for pain relief.
“Pain management aims to lessen the pain and inflammatory response induced by many marking procedures, resulting in an improvement of the animal’s ability to mother up and return to normal behaviours such as suckling, grazing and walking.
“The pain experienced by animals during and after procedures differs, and therefore so does its management. There are two types of pain that occur and with the addition of Butec to the market, both types can now be addressed.”
Dr Hunt said fast onset pain is the sharp pain felt at the site of injury, e.g. a sharp cut made by a knife.The pain is short in duration and localised to the site of injury.
This type of pain is managed using local anaesthetics and is effectively addressed for surgical procedures by the application of the topically applied spray-on product already available over-the-counter.
However, calves and lambs marked with rubber rings have not been able to benefit from such pain relief in the OTC space to date.
The other type of pain is slow onset pain. This has not been able to be addressed by products available OTC until now.
“Slow onset pain is the secondary, dull throbbing pain that arises minutes to hours after the procedure,” Dr Hunt said. “If left untreated, it can last for several days after the procedure. The pain can radiate and be felt in a larger area compared to fast onset pain.
“Slow onset, chronic pain makes animals reluctant to express their normal behaviours which is critical to limit production losses post marking. An effective treatment for slow pain is Butec, which contains the active meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).”
Dr Hunt said inflammation and pain are felt in the body as a result of the activity of specific types of signaling molecules called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins associated with inflammation are made at the site of tissue damage. Butec inhibits the enzyme responsible for the production of these inflammatory prostaglandins. Less prostaglandin production means less pain and inflammation.
Butec is suitable for use in all methods of marking procedures. Applied at the time of marking as a gel to the mouth in the space between the inside of the cheek and the molar teeth using the Butec applicator gun, the product is simple and safe to apply.
The active is absorbed within minutes across the lining of the cheek with pain relief starting within 15 mins, according to Troy Healthcare data on file.
Butec also contains a blue dye to allow ease of recognition of treated animals.
Studies over a number of years, including studies conducted by University of Sydney researchers for MLA on the Effects of topical anaesthetic and buccal meloxicam on average daily gain, behaviour and inflammation of unweaned beef calves following surgical castration, have shown that with the slow elimination of meloxicam from calves, pain relief is sustained.
Dr Hunt said the use of some pain relief (such as topically applied anaesthetics) is definitely better than none.
“But now we should not shy away from speaking to producers about multimodal pain relief solutions – that is the administration of more than one pain relief product where the products work in different ways.
“With Butec being available OTC, it is easier than ever for producers to strive for better welfare outcomes and demonstrate to consumers they are taking animal welfare seriously on farm.”
