Behavioral evaluation of the analgesic effects of ketoprofen in lame dairy cows
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20163468Keywords:
dairy cattle, Lameness, animal welfare, pain management, NSAIDAbstract
Lameness in dairy cattle decreases productivity and diminishes animal welfare. Alleviating the pain associated with lameness would improve animal welfare and could improve productivity and enhance recovery. In dairy cows, lameness is associated with increased duration and frequency of lying bouts, abnormal locomotion, and increased weight shifting behavior. Weight shifting between the rear limbs can be used to objectively quantify pain levels and responses to pain-relieving drugs. The hypothesis of this study was that administration of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ketoprofen would decrease pain-associated behaviors in lame dairy cows.