Dehorning and disbudding of cattle causes significant pain; adequate anaesthesia and analgesia are welfare requirements that remain inconsistently applied.
Dehorning causes significant acute and post-operative pain. Procedures performed without both local anaesthesia and NSAID analgesia cause preventable suffering. Evidence shows that local anaesthesia alone is insufficient as it wears off while inflammatory pain continues. NSAID use significantly reduces post-procedure cortisol and pain behaviours. The most welfare-positive solution is breeding polled genetics that eliminate the need for dehorning entirely. Where dehorning remains necessary, multi-modal pain management is an ethical requirement, not optional.