302 Current pain mitigation practices in beef and dairy cattle in the United States

Abstract

Abstract The lack of FDA-approved analgesic drugs for use in cattle in the United States offers limited pain management options to cattle veterinarians and producers. An on-line survey was developed to investigate current use of pain mitigation by cattle veterinarians and producers. The survey was distributed electronically to multiple listservs in Summer 2018 (BEEF Magazine, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, National Milk Producers Federation Farmers Assuring Responsible Management evaluators, Dairy Moms and Dairy Girls Facebook groups; n = 46,577). A total of 1,187 (2.5%) surveys were received; 41.9% of respondents identified as producers, 47.9% as veterinarians, and 10.2% as both. Multivariate logistic regression was used for analysis. Veterinarians [OR (95% CI) = 10.2 (7.21–14.4)] and both veterinarians and producers [OR (95% CI) = 3.30 (2.02–5.39)] had significantly greater odds of using analgesia than producers in all cattle ages. Summary statistics indicate that analgesic use increased with cattle age; 57.6% of respondents used pain management in calves < 2 months of age, while 71.6% of respondents used pain management in adult cattle (>12 months of age). Respondents agreed that “cattle benefit from receiving analgesic drugs” (76.6%) and that “US/USDA/FDA regulations limit my ability to use analgesic drugs in cattle” (64.01%). Fifty-eight percent of respondents indicated their use of pain management had increased in the last 10 years. Data identify impediments to improving pain management practices in cattle. Results indicate the need for education and communication between veterinarians and producers on the necessity of pain management.