Document type : Technical article published on the Agri Mutuel website
Author: Céline Peudpièce
Preview: In this Animal Welfare podcast from the Pays de la Loire Chamber of Agriculture, veterinarian Céline Peudpièce discusses pain management in livestock. Although pain is difficult to identify, especially in cattle, its management can improve both comfort and performance. (...)
Pain is a survival reflex. It starts with a physical perception: for example, an electric shock when you touch a fence wire. The body's receptors, known as nociceptors, send an impulse through the neurons to the spinal cord. The spinal cord then triggers a reflex command. In the example, this would be to immediately pull away from the electric wire, before receiving a further shock! But the nerve message has not yet finished its journey. It must now travel up to the brain, which interprets the pain. It is the brain that makes the connection between the fence and the unpleasant sensation. In addition to being unpleasant, pain causes a cascade of physical reactions. With the release of adrenalin and cortisol, neurotransmitter synthesis soars, not without consequences. "Cortisol reduces the immune response. It reduces the number of white blood cells and centralizes them in the lymph nodes. It decreases appetite and limits the desire to reproduce...", the vet explains. As a result, pain can impact an animal's zootechnical performance.
How to spot that an animal is in pain
But animal pain is difficult to spot. "The more different an animal is from us, the harder it is to recognize its suffering. In 2000, we were still unsure whether fish felt pain. Of course they do!" Some animals can externalize their pain, though. "Dogs and pigs can cry out, but it's often difficult to assess to what extent the cry represents the pain." Cows are more stoical in their pain. "A cow in pain is a weakened animal. She becomes vulnerable to predators, so she doesn't show it. There are nevertheless a small number of signs that can betray pain in animals. "Staring, tense facial muscles, ears back, animals that isolate themselves and don't eat". But, as the vet acknowledges, "it's far from obvious".
How to relieve pain
" Relieving the pain of an intervention in veterinary medicine is something we do regularly". There are three stages to the process: - The animal is tranquilized to prevent panic, which would complicate the procedure and make the pain worse. "It's the little tablet we give before an operation in human medicine". - Anesthesia can be local or general, numbing the area or inducing unconsciousness in the whole individual to prevent the nerves from feeling anything. - Analgesia (the use of painkillers) helps to manage pain after the procedure. "We generally inject the analgesic and the tranquilizer at the same time, as the painkiller needs time to act," Céline tells us.
" It's extra work", acknowledges the vet. But for her, the process is not without benefit for the farmer. "In the case of cattle castration, it's a safety measure. It's much easier to restrain a tranquilized animal. And, above all, it creates long-term trust between the farmer and the animal. The farmer is no longer the one who causes pain, but the one who cares for the animal".
And what if we could avoid it?
In the world of livestock farming, pain avoidance revolves around the three S approach: "Suppress - Substitute - Soothe", explains Céline.
A number of options are available to the farmer. "Live castration is a good example. It's possible to avoid it, by working with whole males, or by working with genetic bloodlines where puberty is delayed ". But there are still other options possible: "To replace it, I can use immunocastration, or can relieve the pain during the procedure". The same applies to dehorning. It is possible to stop dehorning, either by willingly raising a horned herd, by working with hornless breeds, or to relieve the pain of dehorning or disbudding.
This podcast on animal welfare is available on the Chambre d'Agriculture Pays de la Loire website.
(Re)listen to the first episode in the B2E series, which focused on animal welfare advisers.
