Anyone who has ever had a tooth pulled at the dentist will have been very grateful for the injections they received to numb the pain for the job.

They might also remember, when the local anaesthetic wore off, the ensuing pain in their jaw, and having to be very careful when eating afterwards.

Calves that have been disbudded will have had similar issues. Pain in calves has been shown to affect normal behaviour, such as lying and feeding. It increases stress and reduces weight gain.

The effects of pain associated with dehorning leads to an increase in stress hormone levels, a decrease in ruminal activity, an increase in head shaking, as well as a reduction in time spent grazing.

Research has shown that the pain associated with dehorning or disbudding lasts up to 44 hours.

Stress

We have all seen the effects of stress on calves; be it the recent freezing temperatures, during transport or when caught in draughts. Indeed, many farmers go to great lengths to reduce the amount of stress that is put on their calves.

As disbudding is a routine procedure, it makes sense to have a routine means to minimise the pain and stress put on the calves to keep them thriving and reduce stress-related illnesses.

By law, all calves over two weeks of age should be given local anaesthetic.

The use of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug at the time of disbudding can provide that pain relief to bridge the gap after the effects of the local anaesthetic has worn off and can last for up to three days, making it ideally suited for this procedure.

So, as for the fella walking away from the dentist holding his jaw with a few painkillers in his hand, I’m sure calves would welcome a bit of aftercare too.

Brian Murphy works at Killenaule Vets, Killenaule, Thurles, Co Tipperary. Killenaule Vets is part of XLVets. XLVets is a group of progressive practices working together to achieve a better future for agriculture and veterinary in Ireland. For further information, go to www.xlvets.ie.