Drugs For Pain Management In Ruminants

Examples commonly used in cattle and sheep include meloxicam, ketoprofen, carprofen and flunixin. The drugs can be used by a variety of routes including intravenous, intramuscular and  subcutaneous administration. There is also a ‘pour-on’ preparation of finadyne which may be appropriate in some circumstances.  Unlike in humans, oral preparations of NSAIDS are poorly absorbed in ruminants and there are currently no commercially available forms which can be given in feed.

Steroids such as dexamethasone are occasionally used for pain relief in ruminants as they have an anti-inflammatory action. These drugs should only be used under the guidance of a veterinary surgeon. Steroids are recognised to delay wound healing and should not be used in pregnant animals.

These drugs are used to provide pain relief by local infiltration, by injection in to a vein (e.g for foot surgery), by direct desensitisation of a nerve (e.g conual nerve for disbudding) or for spinal anaesthesia (epidural).

It should be noted that sedatives used in farm animals can allow immobilisation of the animals in order to make procedures easier but may provide little or  no pain relieving effect. Therefore, pain relief should be considered separately when using sedatives in farm animals.

There are a wide range of conditions and procedures in which pain relief is appropriate. Pain medications can have serious side effects when used incorrectly so it is important to have a good idea of the animals weight and know the correct route of administration and dosage for the drug which is being used.