What products are available for use in cattle?
Meat & Livestock Australia November 11, 2020
There are currently two products on the market that have pain relief claims in cattle. In addition to these, there are over 30 other injectable Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) that can be obtained from a veterinarian and while not covered in detail here, include Flunixin, Ketoprofen, Tolfenamic acid, and other Meloxicam registered products.
The two products currently on the market are:
- Tri-Solfen (Bayer Australia) – local anaesthesia, post-op
- Ilium Buccalgesic OTM (Troy Laboratories, meloxicam) – NSAID.
Tri-Solfen®
Tri-Solfen® is a topically applied combination agent that includes lignocaine, bupivacaine, adrenaline and cetrimide. It was initially registered for treatment of sheep undergoing surgical mulesing, and its use has been extended to include other painful procedures and conditions, in both sheep and cattle.
It’s applied to wounds, so is a post-operative product for routine animal husbandry procedures.
It is an S5 drug so it’s available over the counter from major distributors directly to producers. Current costs are approximately $780 for 5L or $2,620 for 20L (86c for a 6ml dose, $1.29 for a 9ml dose).
Buccalgesic®
Buccalgesic® is a meloxicam (NSAID) gel that is administered by oral application in the buccal (cheek) pouch in either lambs or calves, rather than drenching for the animal to swallow.
At present, it is available in a 200ml pack costing approximately $80–100, or 40c/20kg for calves. It is an S4 drug so it has to be purchased from a veterinarian.
It should be noted that the label on Buccalgesic reads, “For alleviation of pain associated with the routine husbandry procedure of castration in calves, in conjunction with local anaesthetic at the surgical site”.
Prices quoted are approximate, and may vary from region to region and with supplier and quantity purchased. S4 vet only drugs (NumOcaine, Buccalgesic and Metacam) can only be sold to clients and prices are likely to vary depending on client relationship and volume.