Dehorning and disbudding of cattle causes significant pain yet is routinely performed without adequate pain relief in many countries.
Cattle dehorning is a widespread practice causing well-documented pain that is frequently managed inadequately or not at all. The distinction between disbudding (young calves, less invasive) and dehorning (older cattle, more traumatic) affects pain severity but both procedures cause significant suffering without appropriate analgesia. Economic and logistical barriers to pain relief are not insurmountable — local anesthetic and NSAIDs are inexpensive — but require regulatory mandates to drive consistent uptake. Horn-free genetics offer a longer-term solution.