Disbudding - the removal of horn buds in young goats - is a common painful procedure that can be made significantly more humane through proper pain management.
Disbudding is painful when performed without analgesia, and evidence shows clearly that pain-free alternatives are available and effective. Local anesthetic blocks, combined with sedation and post-procedural non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, eliminate the acute pain response and reduce recovery time. Despite this evidence, many small farm operations continue disbudding without analgesia due to cost, time, and lack of awareness. Regulatory standards mandating pain relief for disbudding exist in several European countries and represent a clear welfare improvement achievable at minimal cost.