Dehorning is performed on millions of cattle annually to reduce injury risk in crowded facilities. Without adequate pain management, this procedure causes significant acute and chronic pain.
Dehorning and disbudding without adequate pain management represent a major and preventable source of suffering in cattle farming. The procedures are intensely painful, and the evidence that they cause prolonged post-operative pain — hours to days — is robust. Despite this evidence, the majority of dehorning globally is performed without any pain relief. The combination of local anesthetic and NSAID anti-inflammatory medication dramatically reduces suffering and is cost-effective. The primary barrier is not cost but habit, awareness, and regulatory pressure.