Oral ketoprofen is effective in the treatment of non-infectious lameness in sows

The efficacy of ketoprofen in the treatment of non-infectious lameness in sows was examined in a double-blinded study. Two dose rates of oral ketoprofen were compared to placebo treatment over five consecutive days. Lameness was assessed with a five-grade scoring system prior to and on the last day of the treatment.The rate of treatment success was 54.3% for the ketoprofen 4 mg/kg group (n = 46), 53.2% for the ketoprofen 2 mg/kg group (n = 47) and 20.8% for the pigs in the placebo group (n = 48). The difference between both ketoprofen groups and the placebo group was significant (P = 0.001), but there was no difference between the two ketoprofen groups (P = 0.78). Oral ketoprofen was well tolerated and no adverse events were observed. As lameness is a very common problem in sows, oral ketoprofen appeared to be a practical way to alleviate pain and improve the welfare of sows.