Avoiding the ouch factor –what do producers think about pain relief?

In May, #Calfmatters carried out a three-question poll via its social media channels to better understand how widely and readily non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) treatments are used when routine tasks are carried out on-farm.

Disbudding and castration are classified as ‘routine tasks’. In the last 10-20 years, significant evidence has shown that these lead to pain for several hours, not just at the time of intervention. Using an NSAID in combination with a local anaesthetic at the time gives longer lasting pain relief. The knock on effect of this seems to be that calves recover more rapidly, have increased vigour and are not off their feed for a significant amount of time.

Why not have your say, click the link with the questions below to give your response on Twitter:

Do you believe NSAIDs are routinely used by the majority of farmers when carrying out routine procedures such as disbudding and castration? - Click here to respond

Do most farmers believe using NSAIDs around routine procedures helps with calf health, vigour and growth? - Click here to respond

Do you think that improving calf wellbeing is the main reason that farmers use NSAIDs for routine procedures? - Click here to respond