Animals communicate in many ways and often try to say something we don’t know how to recognize.
Pain is a form of communication and a mechanism of protection of the animal organism that we must try to understand. With growing concern for animal welfare, veterinary medicine for livestock has developed new ways to identify and alleviate the pain of these large animals.
- In this Animal Expert article we will explain the main signs of pain in livestock so you can recognize and act as quickly as possible when you think you have a sick cow.
Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with real or potential injuries, considered a form of disabling disease [1] and a serious welfare problem.
It serves as a protective mechanism for the body and identifying its cause can minimize the consequences and ensure the welfare of farm animals.
Large animals such as bulls, oxen and cows have a higher pain threshold than dogs and cats [2,3] and, as a result, may be longer and more difficult to identify pain in these animals.
Depending on the physiology of pain, it can be classified according to:
An organism’s responses to pain include
Acute pain can usually be easier to identify because symptoms are more obvious, such as:
These symptoms vary depending on the location and intensity of your pain.
Chronic pain in a sick, moderate, and persistent cow may be more difficult to visualize and identify because the animal may have:
These factors are more difficult to assess because livestock, which are farm animals, are seen and treated as a herd, making it very difficult to follow the routines of a single animal and to know if it sleeps or feeds well. In this case, you should pay attention to the most visible signs, and if you suspect that a cow is sick, you should isolate the animal and observe it in the parameters described above and, if suspicions are confirmed, you should call your veterinarian. .
Specifically in dairy cows, we can list the symptoms of diseases in livestock such as:
As we have seen, ruminants with pain can alter their posture, habits and routines, and may even become aggressive due to pain, however, it is important to note that the absence of these and other obvious signs does not indicate that an animal does not feel. Wrong.
Currently, there is a pain assessment system based on the observation of abnormal behaviors and the total score attributed to these behaviors. In other words, the more abnormal the behavior, the higher the score the cattle will get and the higher their pain level. This system, still in development, is an attempt to universalize the assessment of pain in ruminants.
Read our article on the most common diseases in livestock
A prerequisite for pain relief is to know how to recognize it, but, as we have seen, it is a difficult task. However, with dedication and perseverance and several studies, it is increasingly easier to identify the causes of livestock pain.
There are many medications to treat pain and alleviate animal discomfort: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids are among the most commonly used drug groups, and the latter are still widely discussed due to the serious side effects they cause.
With your help, through the detailed description of the symptoms of the animal, and with the examination and evaluation of the veterinarian of ruminants, it will be possible to alleviate the pain and discomfort of the animals, guaranteeing their well-being.
This article is for informational purposes only, in Animal Expert.com.br we cannot prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.
If you would like to read articles similar to Sick Cow: Signs of Pain in Livestock, we recommend that you visit our Prevention section.