Farmers are more focused on livestock pain management

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Farmers are more focused on livestock pain management

A veterinarian says pain management in livestock has become a higher priority for farmers.  Brownfield’s Larry Lee has more.

Dr. Scott Pertzborn with Lodi Veterinary Care in Wisconsin tells Brownfield there’s more of an emphasis on animal pain management now than there was years ago for a few reasons. “So really, it’s not just something we’re forced to do. It’s really something that’s better for the calves, it’s better for the people that are doing the dehorning, and it’s better for the financial situation of the dairy farmer because the calves will just better.”

Pertzborn says limiting pain while dehorning calves is a win-win for animals and farmers. “We get better average daily gain on the calves that we gave the meloxicam to than the ones that we did not. You get less sickness. We’ve had studies that show they’re less likely to get sick with pain medicine.”

Pertzborn says the treatments available are extra-label uses that need to be prescribed by a veterinarian, and he’s not aware of any new drugs in development for animal pain management.

Dr. Scott Pertzborn discusses calf pain management with Brownfield’s Larry Lee during the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Calf Care Connection workshop

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