BEYOND FLUNIXIN AND MELOXICAM: MANAGEMENT OF SURGICAL PAIN INTHE RUMINANT

摘要

The act of performing surgery where tissue is manipulated, cut, or damaged causes pain-both at the time of surgery and for a period of time after. Clinicians dealing with ruminants need to evaluate the effect of that pain on the individual animal as well as on the production aspects such as weight gain, milk production, transfer of passive immunity, etc. Because of the absence of approved analgesic drugs for livestock, veterinarians working on ruminants must use existing analgesics from other speciesin an extralabel manner. Flunixin meglumine is labeled for use intravenously for inflammation associated with mastitis in cattle as well as pyrexia, but no drug is labeled for analgesia/pain control in cattle, sheep, or goats. Extralabel drug use in theruminant is allowed only by or under the supervision of a veterinarian, allowed only for FDA approved animal and human drugs, only permitted when the health of the animal is threatened and not for production purposes, not permitted in feed, and not permitted if it results in drug residue in food intended for human consumption. (Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act of 1994 (AMDUCA)).