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

Have You Herd? AABP PodCasts

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Miriam Martin, Director of Animal Health and Welfare and the North American Meat Institute, and Dr. Michael Kleinhenz, Clinical Associate Professor in Dairy Cattle Production at Texas A&M Vero for this episode to discuss the paper that was published in the Journal of Dairy Science that was the result of the cattle welfare research grant through the AABP Foundation.
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We start our conversation by discussing a typical dehorning protocol on beef and dairy farms as well as methods for providing local anesthesia to the horn bud. The objective of this study was to determine if the duration of analgesia could be extended using additional anesthesia and analgesia protocols in calves that were scoop dehorned. All treatment groups received a cornual nerve block with lidocaine and the four treatment groups included an additional infiltration around the horn bud with ethanol, lidocaine alone, lidocaine with meloxicam, and a bupivacaine liposome suspension. Martin discusses the outcome variables they tested and walks us through how these measurements were performed by the investigators.
The results indicated that none of the treatments extended the duration of analgesia based on the outcomes measured, however it did emphasize that multimodal analgesic therapy with a local anesthetic and oral meloxicam is the gold standard by working synergistically and providing a longer duration of analgesia. Martin also discusses the opportunities for future research in pain management in cattle, including investigating products and procedures that are practical regimens to extend the duration of analgesia for a variety of painful procedures and conditions.
This project was funded by the AABP Foundation through the welfare research grant program. The AABP Foundation funds clinically relevant research that may not have the opportunity for funding through other sources. Please consider donating to the AABP Foundation research projects so that future projects that benefit cattle veterinarians, producers and cattle have the opportunity for funding. Please consider a donation to the AABP Foundation to help fund these research projects by visiting this link.
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. Miriam Martin, Michael D. Kleinhenz, Abbie V. Viscardi, Shawnee R. Montgomery, Charley A. Cull, Kelly F. Lechtenberg, and Johann F. Coetzee

JDS Communications May 2022

https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2021-0178

AABP Foundation Cattle Welfare Grant Funded Projects

AABP Foundation Competitive Research Grant Funded Projects