Analgesic Efficacy of Sodium Salicylate in an Amphotericin B Induced Bovine Synovitis-Arthritis Model

Abstract

Over the past decade, the issue of food animal welfare has come to the forefront of veterinary medicine. Much of this interest has centered on pain management both in relation to routine production practices and pain involving diseases encountered in production environments. Lameness is one of the most common reasons for premature culling in dairy cows and is also an important cause of loss in beef cattle. Cook (2003) found the prevalence of lameness in dairy cows to be as high as 33.7%. The 1999 National Market Cow and Bull Beef Quality Audit was conducted to examine the quality of market cows and bulls and to compare to the data collected from the 1994 National Non-Fed Beef Quality Audit. Roeber et al (2001) found that 31.4% of all cattle audited were lame and that losses due to lameness were significantly greater than reported in the 1994 audit. In order to evaluate pain and then evaluate interventions, an objective method of measurement is required. Induction of lameness allows for controlled evaluation of pain in animals because pre- and post-lameness measurements can be taken from the same animal, thereby reducing the confounding effects of individual differences. This study examined the efficacy of sodium salicylate for providing analgesia in an amphotericin B-induced bovine synovitis/arthritis model.