393 - Young Scholar Award Talk: Investigation of Pain and Analgesic Strategies in Cattle Undergoing Painful Husbandry Procedures and Disease Conditions

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

9:35 AM – 10:05 AM CT

Location: Oklahoma City Convention Center, 209 A/B

Presenting Author(s)

Miriam S. Martin, PhD

PhD Student
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

Author(s)

Michael D. Kleinhenz, DVM, PhD, DACVP

Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
BW

Brad J. White

Beef Cattle Institute, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
AV

Abbie Viscardi

Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Manhattan, Kansas
LE

Lily N. Edwards-Callaway, n/a

Assistant Professor
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO
TE

Terry E. Engle, PhD

Professor
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO
BJ

Blaine Johnson

Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Manhattan, Kansas
SM

Shawnee R. Montgomery

Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
AC

Andrew K. Curtis

Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
MW

Mikaela Weeder

Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
Maria E. Lou

Graduate Research Assistant
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota
DB

Dale A. Blasi, Ph.D

Professor
Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS
KA

Kelli M. Almes

Kansas State University
RA

Raghavendra G. Amachawadi, BVSc, Ms, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine,Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
HS

Harith Salih

Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
MM

Matt D. Miesner, DVM, MS, DACVIM

Professor
Department of Clinical Sciences, Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS
CC

Charley A. Cull

Midwest Veterinary Services, Inc.
JS

Jon E. Seagren

Midwest Veterinary Services, Inc.
KL

Kelly F. Lechtenberg

Midwest Veterinary Services, Inc.
AB

Angela Baysinger

Merck Animal Health
Kenilworth, New Jersey
JN

Jason Nickell, DVM, Ph.D.

Manager- Professional Services
Allflex Livestock Intelligence
Kansas City, Missouri
OG

Octavio Guimareas

Colorado State University
DS

David Schafer

Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado
JC

Johann F. Coetzee, BVSc, Cert CHP, PhD, DACVCP, DACAW, DECAWBM(AWSEL), MRCVS

Professor and Head; Department of Anatomy & Physiology
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

Abstract: Cattle are stoic by nature and have long been subject to evolutionary pressure to mask pain to avoid becoming prey. Quantifying pain via biomarkers allows researchers to capture changes that are not easily detected by the human eye. Negative public perception of routine husbandry practices such as dehorning and castration is growing, increasing the need for the development of practices to relieve pain and suffering in cattle. The objective was to quantify pain associated with induced bacterial pneumonia, scoop and hot-iron dehorning, surgical castration, and hot-iron branding, and to investigate analgesic effectiveness. Calves were experimentally inoculated with Mannheimia haemolytica, scoop or cautery dehorned, surgically castrated, or hot-iron branded. Outcome variables were collected at baseline and following husbandry procedures and included serum cortisol; infrared thermography (IRT); mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT); substance P; kinematic gait analysis; a visual analog scale; chute defense and behavior scoring; clinical illness score; computerized lung score; average activity and rumination; prostaglandin E2 metabolite; plasma serum amyloid A and rectal temperature. Responses were analyzed using repeated measures with calf nested in treatment designated as a random effect, and treatment, time, and their interaction designated as fixed effects. A combination of reduced activity levels, decreased force on calves’ right front limb, and increased visual analog scale pain scores all support that bacterial pneumonia in cattle is painful (P ≤ 0.01). Differences in right front force were observed in calves challenged with M. haemolytica and treated with flunixin transdermal (96.5 kg) and those given a placebo (85.5 kg), indicating that flunixin transdermal may attenuate specific pain biomarkers in cattle with respiratory disease (P < 0.01). Administration of a bupivacaine liposome suspension block at the time of dehorning and castration was as effective at controlling pain as a multi-modal approach of lidocaine and meloxicam (as evidenced by treatment differences in MNT, cortisol and gait analysis (P ≤ 0.04)). Oral meloxicam administration at branding reduced IRT differences from the branding and control site and reduced lying bouts (P < 0.01). Breed and sex effects were observed across a wide range of biomarkers and should be investigated in future pain studies. The need for long-acting analgesic options for cattle that demonstrate pain alleviation across multiple biomarkers is apparent and would be beneficial to alleviating pain from routine husbandry procedures like dehorning, castration, and branding, as well as painful disease conditions such as bovine respiratory disease.