Optimal lameness induction model development using amphotericin B in meat goats.

Lameness continues to be a critical health and welfare concern associated with goat production. Amphotericin B (amp B) is an antimicrobial successful in inducing transient lameness for research purposes previously in livestock animals. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify which of three varying doses of amp B would be most effective in inducing lameness in meat type goats and (2) develop a facial grimace scale for goats.

Comparison of lidocaine alone or in combination with a local nerve block of ethanol, bupivacaine liposome suspension, or oral meloxicam to extend analgesia after scoop dehorning in Holstein calves.

The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends the use of practices that reduce or eliminate pain and discomfort associated with dehorning. Identification of an effective, long-acting local anesthetic that is practical for producers to implement and reduces pain from dehorning would benefit animal welfare. Thirty-two Holstein bulls and heifers were enrolled.

Effect of bupivacaine liposome suspension administered as a local anesthetic block on indicators of pain and distress during and after surgical castration in dairy calves.

Castration is a routine procedure performed on beef and dairy operations in the United States. All methods of castration cause behavioral, physiologic, and neuroendocrine changes associated with pain. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners recommend that anesthesia and analgesia be administered during castration.

Proposed multidimensional pain outcome methodology to demonstrate analgesic drug efficacy and facilitate future drug approval for piglet castration.

Castration of male piglets in the United States is conducted without analgesics because no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved products are labeled for pain control in swine. The absence of approved products is primarily due to a wide variation in how pain is measured in suckling piglets and the lack of validated pain-specific outcomes individually indistinct from other biological responses, such as general stress or inflammation responses with cortisol. Simply put, to measure pain mitigation, measurement of pain must be specific, quantifiable, and defined.

Effect of bupivacaine liposome suspension administered as a cornual nerve block on indicators of pain and distress during and after cautery dehorning in dairy calves.

Dehorning is performed on a high percentage of dairies worldwide. Concern about the negative effect of dehorning on animal welfare has contributed to the development of new guidelines that require the use of pain management at the time of disbudding in the United States. However, livestock producers are limited in how to address this requirement due to a lack of (1) approved analgesic drugs, (2) analgesic options that control pain for an extended duration, and (3) analgesic formulations that are practical for producers to administer.

Technical contribution: use of continuous recording video monitoring of maintenance and pain behaviors in piglets after surgical castration to validate six continuous time sampling periods for behavior scoring.

Castration is a painful procedure routinely performed on piglets. Specific periods relative to castration and time sampling rules are used widely to quantify deviations in piglet's behavior associated with castration rather than assessing behavior for the entire trial period. However, very limited work has evaluated time sampling recording rules to quantify behavioral changes to piglets undergoing castration.

Analgesic Comparison of Flunixin Meglumine or Meloxicam for Soft-Tissue Surgery in Sheep: A Pilot Study.

The amount of scientific data evaluating sheep pain responses after analgesia treatment is limited. The aims of this study were to compare the efficacy of flunixin meglumine (FLU) and meloxicam (MEL) at relieving post-surgical pain in sheep and to evaluate the utility of the Sheep Grimace Scale (SGS). Thirty ewes were assigned to one of three treatment groups: oral MEL or intravenous FLU to manage pain associated with a laparotomy procedure, or a non-surgical control (CON) group.

Development and evaluation of two different lameness models in meat goats, a pilot study.

Lameness is a serious health concern for livestock species. Understanding individual animal response to pain and characterization of lameness are critical when developing appropriate treatments. The objectives of this pilot study was to evaluate two different lameness models and measures for determining response to induced lameness in meat goats.

Evaluating the utility of a CO2 surgical laser for piglet castration to reduce pain and improve wound healing: a pilot study.

CO2 surgical lasers are widely used for procedures in veterinary and human medicine. There is evidence to suggest surgery using a CO2 laser reduces pain and swelling and improves healing time compared with surgery with a scalpel. Millions of piglets in North America are surgically castrated each year using a scalpel.

Use of Meloxicam or Ketoprofen for Piglet Pain Control Following Surgical Castration.

Surgical castration of piglets is performed routinely on commercial pig farms, to prevent boar taint and minimize aggression. While this procedure is known to be painful, piglets are generally not provided any analgesic for pain relief, leading to welfare concerns. The objectives of this study were to assess the efficacy of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), meloxicam (MEL) (0.

Efficacy of buprenorphine for management of surgical castration pain in piglets.

Background: Surgical castration is a painful procedure, performed routinely on commercial pig farms to prevent boar taint and reduce aggression. The objectives of this study were to assess the efficacy of 0.04 mg/kg buprenorphine (BUP) in reducing pain in castrated piglets, using behavioral indicators and vocalization analysis.

Development of a Piglet Grimace Scale to Evaluate Piglet Pain Using Facial Expressions Following Castration and Tail Docking: A Pilot Study.

Facial expressions are increasingly being used to assess pain in non-human species, including rodents, horses, and lambs. The development of these species-specific grimace scales has allowed for more rapid pain detection, which can lead to better animal welfare if intervention promptly occurs. For grimace scales to ever be used as a stand-alone measure of pain, it is important they correlate with established pain assessment tools, such as behavioral analysis.