Use of NSAIDs in the management of lameness in dairy cattle

Lameness is a painful condition that affects cattle globally (Randall et al, 2019; Ranjbar et al, 2020). The pathogenic mechanisms driving the lesions causing this pain are poorly understood relative to other painful conditions affecting the dairy cow (e.g. mastitis) (Randall et al, 2018a). Evidence is indicative that the routine use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has a role to play in lameness treatment (Whay et al, 2005; Thomas et al, 2015, 2016; Wilson et al, 2022) and prevention (Wilson et al, 2022). However, despite this evidence, NSAID administration as part of even a routine lameness treatment protocol is still not present in many herds across the UK. It is commonplace for very lame animals with chronic and progressed disease to receive pain relief in the form of a short course of NSAIDs which is arguably too late and largely ineffective for long-term pain management. The evidence that exists indicates that the efficacy of NSAID administration is diminished when used in late-stage disease treatment (although it is recognised that analgesia has welfare benefits) (Thomas et al, 2016). Understanding the mechanisms through which NSAIDs may function, and the regimens in which they have merit, is of the utmost importance for clinicians to be able to recommend their usage in a more diverse and efficacious range of situations.