Farmed Animals

Pain Assessment Tools for Cattle

Validated pain assessment tools for cattle enable earlier detection and treatment of painful conditions, reducing welfare harm.

Key Facts

The Cattle Pain Scale (CPS) is a validated behavioural tool for cattle pain assessment
Facial action unit systems for cattle have been developed and validated in research settings
Lameness scoring is the most widely used validated welfare assessment tool in cattle
Pain assessment training improves stockperson ability to detect and respond to cattle pain
Analgesic use in cattle is below what the burden of painful conditions would justify

Welfare Considerations

Validated pain assessment tools provide cattle farmers and veterinarians with practical means to identify and quantify pain, enabling appropriate treatment decisions. Training in pain recognition, combined with accessible analgesics and willingness to use them, can significantly reduce the duration and severity of suffering from painful conditions in cattle.

What You Can Do

Support welfare standards that include pain assessment training requirements
Advocate for veterinary formulary improvements to facilitate analgesic access for cattle
Raise awareness about cattle pain recognition among stockpersons and farm advisers
Support research into novel pain assessment tools for cattle including facial action systems
Encourage routine analgesic use for painful procedures and disease treatment in cattle