8 Oct 2024
Sam Bowker summarises the discussions and outcomes of the Break the Pain conference and round-table talk.
Sam Bowker
Job Title
Delegates at the Break The Pain conference in Wolverhampton.
The Break the Pain conference and round-table talk was held to address pain and inflammation in dairy cows, and the significant role inflammation plays in cattle disease.
Approximately 50 cattle veterinary surgeons from across the country headed to The Mount hotel in Wolverhampton for a full day devoted to how to overcome pain in our domestic dairy herds. The event was hosted by Ceva Animal Health.
The conference featured presentations on the extensive role of NSAIDs in pain relief at calving, during the treatment of digital dermatitis and for pain associated with lameness.
Esteemed speakers included:
Evidence suggests that farmers are keen to provide pain relief for their animals and the presentations demonstrated the speakers’ research into the extensive role of NSAIDs in providing pain relief in dairy cows.
Pain relief is under-used around calving – particularly in calves – and Dr Gladden’s presentation provided comprehensive research-based evidence on the use of NSAIDs at calving to improve the welfare of both cows and calves in the post-partum period. Productivity gains from her study were also demonstrated, including:
Dr Oikonomou demonstrated the benefits of using NSAIDs for the treatment of pain and lameness associated with digital dermatitis (DD) in cattle. His study2 demonstrated that cows in a control group were 2.57 times more likely to be lame with DD at a second evaluation compared to those treated with an IM injection of ketoprofen 3mg/kg.
Cows that were lame in the control group prior to treatment and did not receive ketoprofen 3mg/kg were more than 20 times more likely to remain lame a week post-treatment compared to cows that did receive ketoprofen 3mg/kg.
Interestingly, the same study showed a benefit in milk yield; on average, all treated animals (including those that were not lame) gave nearly 3kg/day more, but the freshly calved cows, which were lame at diagnosis, gave more than 10kg/day more over the seven days of the study.
Image © VanderWolf Images / Adobe Stock
Managing mobility on farm was the focus of Dr Wilson’s presentation and the importance of early detection and prompt, effective treatment of lameness in dairy cattle. He reviewed his study3 into the benefits of using NSAIDs routinely in heifers at first and subsequent calvings, and in conjunction with conventional best practice of a therapeutic trim and a hoof block, every time a dairy heifer is identified as lame.
This protocol led to an absolute reduction in lameness of approximately 10% and severe lameness of 3%, compared with animals treated in accordance with conventional best practice of a therapeutic trim and a hoof block on the sound claw (if deemed necessary) every time they were treated for lameness.
Dr Wilson rounded off his presentation by stating that getting every element of early detection prompt effective treatment right was critical to success. This includes ideally fortnightly sensitive mobility scoring using vet technicians and trimmers, and prompt presentation to a trimmer – within 48 hours if score two and as soon as possible if score three. In addition, huge importance exists to have effective treatment with a functional therapeutic trim and block, a three-day course of ketoprofen and vet attendance, if required, plus a re-check in four weeks.
Miss Timms rounded off the morning presentations with a review of the recently launched Stride UK dairy mobility report 2024, which revealed that 7% of dairy farmers were not using NSAIDs in lame cows. This is despite the fact that foot care and lameness management should be included in their herd health plans to meet the Red Tractor Dairy Standards and the standards of their milk buyer.
In addition, PROJECT FEET reported that farmers rate cow comfort really highly and vets’ perception of how farmers rate the cost is much higher than how important the cost actually is4.
During the round-table discussion, delegates debated the perceived barriers to farmers using NSAIDs, with return on investment seen as one of the most significant ones, yet when using NSAIDs strategically they have shown a substantial return on investment of £1.66 for every £1 invested3, with the onus on us as vets to demonstrate this.
Vets often assume that farmers know what NSAIDs are without even asking the question, yet anecdotal feedback from delegates was that proficient and knowledgeable farmers were confused between antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
The perception of vets is that farmers are often worried about the costs of medication, which discouraged them from speaking to their clients about NSAIDs. However, in reality this is rarely the case – particularly if vets take the time to speak to their clients in depth about return on investment.
Top tips for vets are as follows:
● Use more positive language on farm and take the time to speak to clients about what motivates them – for example, use “mobility” instead of “lameness”. Follow a motivational interview technique to help glean information in a confident and constructive way by “asking, advising, assessing, assisting and arranging”. This will help you gain an understanding of the farmer’s aims and objectives and enable you to provide advice on management and treatments such as NSAIDs as an outcome.
● Ensure you include information on cost and return on investment in any discussions as some strong evidence/research exists that you can use during these discussions.
● It is advisable to sit down with the whole foot management team – which should include the farmer, trimmer and mobility scorer – to discuss protocols and to develop a mobility improvement management plan to design and implement an effective programme across the whole herd.
All NSAIDs are currently off licence in neonatal calves and in heifers at calving.
