HOW PAIN MANAGEMENT HELPS
The castration of male cattle is nothing new. Historically, bulls were castrated so that the oxen used to pull plows and wagons would have decreased amounts of testosterone in their system. This made it easier to control them. Today, castration is used for a number of reasons ranging from decreasing aggression in cattle, decreasing costs of managing bulls, and producing meat with better marbling.
Castration typically happens when calves are young – under two months of age. There are three main ways of castrating a calf – surgical removal of the testes, stopping the blood flow to the testes or less frequently, hormonal castration. Each method has its own pros and cons and should be chosen in consultation with a veterinarian.
The topic of castration can raise concerns for producers, including for the welfare of their animals. Castration can cause a range of side effects including infections, swelling, and pain. Castration shortly after birth is considered the most humane practice, but there are a number of other ways producers can improve the welfare of their calves at the time of castration.
All methods of castration will cause pain and distress to the calf. This can be minimized by castrating as early as possible and using pain management drugs.
Current Canadian guidelines state “castration must be performed by competent personnel using proper, clean, well-maintained instruments and accepted techniques.” As of January 1, 2018, pain control must be used in consultation with a veterinarian when castrating bulls older than six months of age.
A recent study suggests that calves less than a week old feel less pain than older calves. After studying three groups of calves undergoing different procedures with different pain management techniques, the team found that pain relief drugs can help older calves feel better sooner than without them. They also showed that calves a week old show fewer signs of pain than two-month-old calves.
Helping your cattle manage their pain leads to their improved health. Castrating young may speed up the healing time of your calf, leading to fewer infections or other complications.
CANADIAN TRENDS ON CASTRATION
As recently as 2014, when castrating cattle, only 4-5% of Canadian calf producers used pain control measures. Fortunately, producers are realizing the benefits of pain management. Surveys from 2017 show that pain management for castrations has become more common. 10% of producers in Atlantic Canada, 26% in Ontario and 28% in Western Canada are now using pain management tools when castrating their calves.
In the United States, one in five veterinarians use some sort of pain management, whether it’s an analgesic or local anesthetic at the time of castration. In the United Kingdom, under the Protection of Animals Act 1954, it is illegal to castrate calves over the age of two months without anesthetic.
FUTURE RESEARCH
While there is an increase in the use of pain management drugs among cattle producers, it’s harder for producers to use local anesthesia on a large scale. Doing so takes planning and coordination ahead of time. However, there is research being conducted to help find a solution to this, so that more animals benefit from pain reduction.
Overall, it is considered a best practice to castrate calves within the first week of their lives, as current research suggests they feel more pain when they’re older. However, if you choose to castrate later in the calf’s life, consult with your veterinarian and use pain medication for your calves to feel better, sooner.
