Analgesia of newborn lambs before castration and tail docking with rubber rings

This study assessed the effects of suckled! sucrose and parenteral carprofe n treatment on behavioural measurements of discomfort and serum haptoglobin concentration in lambs following rubber ring castration and/or tail dockin g. Twenty-eight male and 20 ewe lambs were allocated to either a male or ew e lamb control group (n=4) or to one of three male and two ewe lamb treatme nt groups (n=8). Male lambs in one treatment group received carprofen subcu taneously (0.5 mg/kg) 30 minutes before castration and docking. Lambs in al l other treatment groups suckled sucrose or colostrum immediately before ca stration and/or tail docking. Behavioural measurements of discomfort were m ade following castration or tail docking in treatment groups and also in co ntrol animals which were not castrated or tail docked. Blood sampling of an imals in treatment groups for analysis of serum haptoglobin, an acute phase protein used as an indicator of an acute inflammatory response, was perfor med before castration or docking and at 24 and 48 hours after castration or docking. Control lambs were blood sampled at 0, 24 and 48 hours following behavioural assessment. Neither suckled sucrose nor carprofen treatment alt ered discomfort behaviour associated with castration or tail clocking. Hapt oglobin levels following castration or tail docking remained close to the d etection limits of the assay and were similar to those recorded in control animals.