Routine veterinary and husbandry procedures cause pain in cattle that is often undertreated. Implementing multimodal pain management protocols improves welfare and often improves productivity.
Cattle stoically mask pain, making recognition challenging. Observable indicators include posture changes, reduced movement, decreased social interaction, and altered facial expression (using the Cattle Pain Scale). Multimodal analgesia combining local anaesthesia, NSAIDs, and sedation produces better outcomes than any single agent. Pre-operative analgesia is more effective than post-operative treatment. Farmer education about pain recognition and treatment is the most impactful welfare intervention available.