The Milk Producer - October 2010 - (Page 34)

APPLIEDSCIENCE By Ken Leslie, Camilla Kielland, Suzanne Millman and Julie Baillargeon Pain relief Research scientists have learned how cows react to pain caused by mastitis infections and why we need new treatment protocols A sk a breastfeeding woman who has mastitis if it’s painful. Her answer will be an unequivocal “yes.” Now ask a cow. The answer might be harder to interpret. However, researchers are getting better at understanding cow language. This understanding has led to the conclusion the dairy industry needs to look at how to relieve pain when treating cows with clinical mastitis. Until now, the effects of udder infections on cow behaviour and well-being have remained largely unexplored. It is contended that animals suffering from mastitis have compromised welfare, and may need supportive therapy. It has been asserted appropriate clinical mastitis treatment should be mandatory to relieve a dairy cow from the suffering caused by pain, discomfort, distress and disease. In Britain, mastitis is also documented as the leading cause of premature culling in dairy cattle. Certainly, supportive therapy for clinical mastitis, through the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), is logical and available. However, documented evidence of its value and regulatory approvals are limited. Meanwhile, tools and techniques for animal behaviour research have improved greatly, and are now widely available. Yet, the implementation of these methods in mastitis research has been limited up to now. responses between species, individual animals, different disease stages and acute versus chronic conditions. The primary pain indicator is deviating from normal behaviour. Pain assessment in livestock, particularly cattle, is difficult because of their basic detached, seemingly unconcerned nature. Cattle have evolved as prey animals. They are programmed not to express behaviours as a result of harmful stimuli like pain. Consequently, only subtle behaviour changes indicate pain and suffering. Yet, pain and distress can have a significant welfare and economic impact. quarter milk somatic cell counts, rectal temperatures and serum cortisol— a hormone released due to stress—in the first 24 hours after infusion. Moreover, endotoxin mastitis cows spent less time eating, cud chewing and lying in their stalls. They also Mastitis painful? Measuring pain Identifying and measuring distress and pain in animals is a challenging task. It can be measured only indirectly. There are differences in pain 34 | October 2010 | MilkPRODUCER Over the past few years, research has started to provide various elements of an answer to the tricky question of whether mastitis is painful to cows. In a recent study, cows were experimentally challenged with an endotoxin. Endotoxins are toxins associated with certain bacteria, in this case clinical coliform mastitis. Control cows were given a harmless saline solution. Compared with control animals, cows with endotoxin-induced mastitis had higher peak Appropriate therapy programs are needed.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - October 2010

The Milk Producer - October 2010
Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair's Message
Dairy Update
Industry Roundup
DFC Promotion
Cover Story
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Markets
New 'N' Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - October 2010