Current Trends and New Developments in Assessing and Managing Pain in Cattle

Effective pain management in cattle and small ruminants remains a significant challenge due to a combination of regulatory constraints, financial considerations, and the inherent difficulties associated with pain assessment in livestock. Despite growing recognition of the need for pain mitigation, particularly during routine husbandry procedures such as castration, tail docking, and dehorning or in medical conditions like dystocia and lameness, the availability of FDA-approved analgesics for ruminants remains limited. Studies suggest that veterinarians are more likely than producers to utilize analgesia, particularly in older cattle, yet gaps persist in the consistent implementation of pain relief strategies across the industry.