The effect of meloxicam on behavior and pain sensitivity of dairy calves following cautery dehorning with a local anesthetic

Effects of a single injection of meloxicam on calf behavior, pain sensitivity, and feed and water intakes were examined following dehorning. Sixty Holstein heifer calves were blocked by age and randomly assigned to receive an i.m. injection of meloxicam (0.5 mg/kg) or a placebo. All calves were given a lidocaine cornual nerve block (5 mL per horn). Treatments and nerve blocks were administered 10 min before cautery dehorning. Continuous sampling of behavior was performed during five 1-h intervals using video recordings, and total daily activity was monitored using an accelerometer. A pain sensitivity test was administered with a pressure algometer, and feed and water intakes were recorded daily. Calves were sham-dehorned 24 h before actual dehorning to establish baseline values, and all variables were assessed at the same times following dehorning and sham dehorning for up to 48 h post-dehorning. Meloxicam-treated calves displayed less ear flicking during the 44 h following dehorning (increases of 4.29 ± 1.10 and 1.31 ± 0.66 ear flicks/h in the first 24 h, and increases of 3.27 ± 0.89 and 0.55 ± 0.50 ear flicks/h during the second 24 h, for control and meloxicam calves, respectively) and less head shaking during the first 9 h following dehorning (increase of 2.53 ± 0.54 and 0.85 ± 0.46 headshakes/h over baseline for control and meloxicam, respectively). Meloxicam-treated calves were less active than controls during the first 5 h following dehorning (activity 34.1 ± 3.2 and 30.6 ± 2.6 for control and meloxicam, respectively) and displayed less sensitivity to pressure algometry 4 h after dehorning (pressure tolerance of 1.62 ± 0.13 kg of force and 2.13 ± 0.15 kg of force for control and meloxicam calves, respectively). Changes in behavior suggest that meloxicam was effective for reducing post-surgical pain and distress associated with calf dehorning.