Abstract
The aims of the investigation were to establish for the first time (i) clinical efficacy and (ii) pharmacokinetic profile of meloxicam intravenously (IV) administered in male Mediterranean buffalo calves after surgical orchiectomy. The study was performed on 10 healthy buffalo calves, between 4 and 5 months old and between 127 and 135 kg of body weight (b.w.). An IV injection of 0.5 mg/kg b.w. of meloxicam was administered in six calves (treated group, TG) immediately after surgery; the other four animals were used as untreated control group (CG). The clinical efficacy of meloxicam was evaluated pre- and post-surgery by monitoring respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), rectal temperature (T°C), serum cortisol levels (SCL) and pain score (PS). Significant inter-groups differences were detected at sampling times (T): 4 hour (h) for RR (P<0.05), at T1-4-6-8 h for PS (P<0.05) and at T4-6-8 h for SCL (P < 0.0001). Regarding the mean intra-group values observed pre (T0) and post-surgery (from T15 min to T72 h), significant difference between the groups were found for RR (P<0.01), PS and SCL (P<0.05). The pharmacokinetic profile was best fitted by a two-compartmental model and characterized by a fast distribution half-life and slow elimination half-life (0.09 ± 0.06 h and 21.51 ± 6.4 h, respectively) and meloxicam mean concentrations at 96 h was of 0.18 ± 0.14 μg/mL. The volume of distribution and clearance values were quite low, but reasonably homogenous among individuals (Vdss 142.31 ± 55.08 mL/kg and ClB 4.38 ± 0.95 mL/kg/h, respectively). The IV administration of meloxicam in buffalo calves shows encouraging effects represented by significant and prolonged analgesic effects, significant reduction of SCL as well as similar pharmacokinetic profile to bovine calves.
Highlights
The European population of domestic buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) counts of approximately 395.000 heads [1], and Italy represents, with his 369.352 heads of Mediterranean buffalo, the main rearing country (95%) [2]
The evaluation of some haemato-biochemical parameters is instead recommended as the most reliable method to evaluated welfare in animals [7,12] and serum cortisol level can be considered as the analytic, neuroendocrine parameter indicative of animal stress, due to the direct influence on the corticosteroids release in the blood
Meloxicam in Mediterranean buffalo calves week before the orchiectomy, 4 calves were chosen as negative control group among the 10 selected animals (CG, untreated with meloxicam after castration), using a random numbergenerated software package (Microsoft Excel); the remaining 6 buffaloes were identified as treated group (TG, treated with meloxicam after castration)
Summary
The European population of domestic buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) counts of approximately 395.000 heads [1], and Italy represents, with his 369.352 heads of Mediterranean buffalo, the main rearing country (95%) [2]. Meloxicam in Mediterranean buffalo calves buffalo’s breeding in Italy, recently has recorded a significant growing of the beef buffalo’s market [3,4]. As widely described for bovine [5,6], in order to reduce aggression, sexual activity, and incidence of dark-cutting carcasses, meat production often forces veterinary practitioners to castration of young buffalo male calves. While in bovine, during minor surgical procedures, the pain and welfare management are well-established on practice for their ethical implications and impact on productivity [7], on buffalo these aspects, as well as clinical related procedures, are still truly rare [8,9]. It is widely proved that serum cortisol concentration tends to rise when an increased activity from nociceptor is elicited by a pain stimulus [13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call