Lucilia cuprina

…the reputation of being poor mothers.14 larvae, initiated by oviposition by the sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina. In commercial farm situations, lambs are returned immediately to pasture with their mothers following husbandry…

…for deposition of the eggs of management during debridement, and patient concordance the sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina. Following hatching, the with debridement. In addition, literature on innovative new blowfly larvae burrow deeply…

mulesing such as; rear leg collapse, dog sitting, lateral lying or lying with cradle for 4-hour wound sensitivity assessment, before being head flat, prominent tremors and shaking, inability to stand and/ returned to their dams and turned out to pasture. Lambs were or marked and unusual leaning. re-yarded 2 and 4 weeks later when wounds were examined and re-photographed. Wound healing Wound healing was assessed by mapping wound surface area Trial 2 This trial examined wound sensitivity to P stimulation (WSA) using digital photography and Scion Image PC® digital and pain-related behaviour in 80 lambs undergoing both image analysis software (National Institute Health, USA). Digital mulesing and marking. The first 24 lambs were allocated to photographs were taken with a linear scale held against the wool wound sensitivity testing. General management with mulesing immediately above the wound. Using the image analysis was as above. Alternate lambs were treated with Tri-Solfen® or software, pixels per cm2 were calculated, then the wound outline remained untreated. Spinosyn (Extinosad®, Elanco Animal was mapped and surface area was calculated in cm2. Two Health, Macquarie Park, NSW) with blue food dye added to recordings were made for each image by two separate assessors achieve blinding was applied according to recommendations as a and the results were averaged to provide the final surface area flystrike preventative treatment. Lambs remained in the cradle measurement. Wounds were photographed at the time of for 3 min after which skin and wound sensitivity was performed. mulesing (before application of any treatment) and 14 and 28 They were then housed in a mixed treatment group in an indoor days later. Images were identified by lamb tag number and pen and returned to the

Analgesia for Surgical Husbandry Procedures in Sheep and Other Livestock Dr Meredith L Sheil, Animal Ethics Pty Ltd, Associate Sydney University Faculty of Veterinary Science SUMMARY Surgical husbandry procedures in livestock are invariably associated with pain and stress, yet are traditionally performed without analgesia. Concern for the welfare of animals undergoing these procedures is contributing to major conflicts between farmers and animal advocacy organisations with important negative trade implications. Whilst the ultimate long term solution is to breed animals that do not require these procedures, or to find painless alternative practices, this will take time and a significant research effort in most cases. In the meantime, there is an urgent need to find a more immediate way to alleviate welfare concerns. This can be achieved by developing effective low-cost analgesia for on-farm use, to allow surgical procedures in livestock to be performed as humanely as surgical procedures in domestic animals and humans, while long term solutions are pursued and implemented. The first step in reaching this goal was realised with the development and commercialisation of Tri-Solfen® (Bayer Animal Health, Gordon NSW). Tri-Solfen® is a low-cost, farmer-applied topical anaesthetic, haemostatic and antiseptic wound care product that significantly alleviates pain associated with mulesing. Subsequent research identified that pre-operative administration of Carprofen enhanced the analgesic effects. Used together these agents eliminate pain-related behaviour for 24 hours post mulesing and abolish the cortisol response, thus providing highly effective analgesia that equates to (if not surpasses) that which is achieved for routine surgical procedures in veterinary clinics, such as

0.80A 0.84A 1.09 1.01A 0.021 0.513 0.33 0.48 0.83A 0.72 0.71 0.75 0.332 0.470 2 0.19B 0.88A 0.82A 0.99A 0.88A 0.86A 0.009 0.470 1.38 1.33 1.16 0.71AB 0.93 1.06 0.234 0.554 1.03 0.60 0.70 0.95 0.99 0.77 0.593 0.547 3 0.30B 1.21A 1.36A 1.32A 0.86A 0.99A < 0.001 0.511 1.37B 0.75 1.06A 0.81 1.07 1.10 0.323 0.538 1.17 0.76 0.43A 0.60A 0.94 0.64 0.171 0.547 4 0.16B 1.47A 0.93AB 1.18A 0.72AB 1.08A < 0.001 0.509 1.58 1.08 1.57 1.29 0.89A 1.57 0.182 0.619 0.89B 0.28A 0.43 0.39A 1.27B 0.24A < 0.001 0.469 5 0.11B 1.37A 0.83AB 1.55A 0.71AB 0.94A < 0.001 0.481 1.84 1.35 1.66 1.32 1.38 1.49 0.534 0.576 0.87B 0.26A 0.44 0.44 0.83B 0.41A 0.069 0.455 6 0.05B 0.95A 1.01A 1.07A 0.87A 0.60A < 0.001 0.492 2.00 1.54 1.77 1.51 1.42A 1.89 0.304 0.549 0.78 0.42 0.07A 0.33 0.57 0.25A 0.074 0.458 Values are respresented as observations scored out of three. Control = lambs were not mulesed; Placebo = lambs were mulesed and administered no pain relief; MC-15 = lambs were mulesed and administered Metacam® 20 15 min before mulesing; TS = lambs were mulesed and administered Tri-Solfen®; MC-15 + TS = lambs were mulesed and administered a combination of Metacam® 20 15 min before mulesing and Tri-Solfen®; MC0 = lambs were mulesed and administered Metacam® 20 in the cradle. A Means within a row are significantly different to the Control treatment (P < 0.05). B Means within a row are significantly different to the Placebo treatment (P < 0.05). 1 Total pain = hunched and abnormal standing and stiff walking. 2 Total normal = normal standing and walking. 3 Total lying = ventral, lateral and ventral/lateral lying. *LSD (P = 0.05). Behavioural effects of pain relief for mulesing Lambs that were administered the combination of observed in response to mulesing in the current study are Tri-Solfen® and

PRODUCTION ANIMALS The effect of a topical anaesthetic formulation, systemic flunixin and carprofen, singly or in combination, on cortisol and behavioural responses of Merino lambs to mulesing DR PAULL, C LEE, IG COLDITZ, S$] ATKINSON and AD FISHER CSIRO Livestock Industries, FD McMaster Laboratory, Armidale NSW 2350 Andrew. Fisher@csiro,au } { ulesing is a surgical procedure in which two strips of Objective To determine the pain responses of lambs to mules- skin are cut from the hindquarters of Merino lambs in ing, and the effectiveness of potential analgesic treatments. order to remove wool-bearing wrinkled skin, increase Procedures Merino lambs (n = 64) were allocated at 5 weeks the perineal bare area and reduce the risk of breech strike of age to eight treatment groups: 1) sham mules; 2) conventional throughout life thereafter. The operation is usually performed mules; 3) topical anaesthetic, incorporating lignocaine, bupi- in conjunction with tail docking during the first 12 weeks after vicaine, adrenaline and cetrimide, applied immediately after mulesing; 4) flunixin + topical anaesthetic, with flunixin admini- birth, and is described in the relevant Australian Model Code stered 2.5 mg/kg s.c. 90 min before mulesing; 5) carprofen of Practice for che Welfare of Animals.’ Although, in the years + topical anaesthetic, with carprofen administered 4 mg/kg after its widespread adoption, mulesing was highlighted for its s.c. 90 min before mulesing; 6) carprofen, administered as animal welfare benefits in reducing flystrike,” the practice has above; 7) flunixin, administered as above; and 8) carprofen more recently been the focus of criticism by animal welfare and + flunixin, administered as above. Plasma cortisol was measured animal rights interest groups, at 0, 0.5,

nt than in the current mulesing debate that has put the Australian wool market under intense scrutiny by international importers. The growing pressure to select wool from unmulesed sheep has led to an industry push to phase out the procedure by 2010 should a viable solution not be found. Although the ideal long-term solution is to develop painless alternatives to such procedures, this will not happen. In the interim, the development of effective methods of pain alleviation that are practical, affordable, and applicable to farming operations is essential to reduce suffering while an alternative is pursued. Our group has been conducting studies over the past 2 years on the application of a spray-on topical anesthetic formulation, Tri-Solfen®, to the wounds inflicted by mulesing, castration, and tail docking. We have assessed wound sensitivity using Von Frey Hair stimulation, mea- suring local involuntary reflexes, and central cognition. These responses were graded using a numerical rating scale. Observation of behavioral responses to pain was also conducted, along with a novel technique to assess wound healing that involved digital photography and computerized surface area measurement. Findings indicate that the application of Tri-Solfen® to mulesing, castration, and tail docking wounds significantly reduced the pain experienced postproce- dure and improved the rate of wound healing in mulesing wounds. Correspondence should be sent to Sabrina Lomax, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, 48a Alfred Street, Saint Peters, New South Wales, Australia 2044. Email: s.lomax@ usyd.edu.au