Prudent Use of Pain Relief in Food Animals

Abstract

Relief of both acute and chronic pain in animals is an important part of the practice of veterinary medicine. Human pain medications are frequently used in small animal and equine practice. However, food animal practitioners must follow the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA), which puts restraints on the use of analgesics for pain management in food animals. This paper discusses the use of systemic pharmacologic agents for pain. management in cattle, with an emphasis on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Local anesthetic techniques for pain management are discussed in "Numbirig-Nose to Tail".