Pain Management in Sheep: Addressing a Welfare Gap

Pain management in sheep is widely inadequate despite the availability of effective analgesics, representing a significant and addressable welfare gap.

Key Facts

Sheep are stoic animals that actively conceal pain making recognition challenging
The sheep Grimace Scale provides a validated tool for pain assessment in individuals
NSAIDs including meloxicam significantly reduce pain after castration and tail docking
Footrot, footscald and white line disease are common painful conditions frequently undertreated
Routine painful procedures including castration and tail docking are often performed without analgesia

Welfare Considerations

Sheep pain management lags behind that of cattle and pigs partly because the stoic nature of sheep means pain is less visible to observers. Pain that is not observed is not treated. Validated pain recognition tools and stockperson training in sheep-specific pain indicators can close the recognition gap. The availability of licensed analgesics for common painful procedures in sheep is sufficient to address most routine welfare needs. Economic barriers to analgesic use in low-value sheep are real but can be addressed through collective action on pricing and through demonstrating production benefits of pain management.

What You Can Do

Support sheep welfare standards requiring pain relief for all routine painful procedures
Advocate for sheep-specific pain management training in agricultural education
Choose lamb from farms with documented pain management protocols
Support research demonstrating production and welfare benefits of pain relief in sheep