Castration and disbudding are routine procedures that cause pain and distress in cattle. Maternal Bovine Appeasing Substance (MBAS) is naturally secreted and thought to alleviate stress in cattle. This randomized blinded controlled trial aimed to determine if a single topical synthetic MBAS analog dose (FerAppease®, FERA Diagnostics n = 9), lidocaine and meloxicam (LIDO-MEL; n = 10), lidocaine and MBAS (LIDO-MBAS; n = 10), lidocaine meloxicam and MBAS (COMBO; n = 9), sham procedures (SHAM; n = 6); and no analgesia (CONTROL; n = 5). The calves' substance P, plasma cortisol, mechanical nociception threshold (MNT), infrared thermography, performance, lie and stand activity, and gait were evaluated at multiple timepoints. Linear mixed models were employed to identify potential associations between outcomes and treatment, post-procedural timing, and their interactions. No significant differences in infrared thermography, performance, and lie and stand activity outcomes were observed between treatments (P > 0.05). Substance P presented a treatment × time interaction, with the CONTROL group exhibiting lower SP concentrations compared to the COMBO group at several post-procedure timepoints (≤192 vs. ≥298 pg/mL, respectively; SE = 31.9; P < 0.01). A treatment effect was found for plasma cortisol, with the CONTROL group presenting elevated cortisol concentrations (P < 0.01). A treatment × time interaction was observed for horn bud MNT, with the SHAM group requiring greater exerted pressure to withdraw from the algometer at 72 h compared to all other treatment groups (0.33 vs. ≤ -0.39 KgF, respectively; SE = 0.23, P < 0.01). There was a significant treatment × time interaction on multiple gait outcomes (P < 0.05). Differences in gait were noted only in CONTROL calves; local and systemic analgesics and MBAS did not differ. These results suggest that administering MBAS in addition to lidocaine, with or without meloxicam, is neither more or less effective at pain mitigation than lidocaine alone in Holstein calves undergoing surgical castration and cautery disbudding.
Schumacher et al. (Fri,) studied this question.