Assessing Pain Control Efficacy of Meloxicam and Ketoprofen When Compounded with Iron Dextran in Nursing Piglets Using A Navigation Chute

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Post-procedural castration pain control in piglets in Canada is managed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as meloxicam and ketoprofen. While combining NSAIDs with iron dextran (ID) reduces piglet injections and handling, it is unknown if this will affect NSAID pain control efficacy. This study evaluated the time it takes a pig to navigate an obstacle chute after surgical castration as an objective measure of pain control. The differences in navigation time of pigs given NSAIDs alone or mixed with ID prior to castration were compared. The results indicate that castrated piglets given either NSAIDs alone or mixed with ID navigated the chute as fast as non-castrated piglets, and faster than castrated piglets not given NSAIDs. This provides evidence that when NSAIDs are combined with iron and administered as a single injection, the NSAIDs remain effective at controlling castration pain. ABSTRACT: The efficacy of analgesics such as meloxicam and ketoprofen to control pain in piglets when mixed with iron dextran (ID) before injection is unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare perceived pain in castrated piglets treated 1 h before castration with either of these drugs alone, or when mixed with ID, by observing the time it takes for piglets to navigate a chute. Piglets were divided into seven treatment groups (n = 25 piglets per treatment group) including castration with analgesia (meloxicam or ketoprofen), castration with analgesic plus ID, castration without analgesic or ID, sham handled and given ID, and sham handled alone. Piglets were placed in a short chute and their time to navigate the chute was recorded at four timepoints following castration. Piglets given meloxicam or ketoprofen, with or without ID did not differ from each other in their chute navigation times. Additionally, these piglets did not differ from treatment groups that were not castrated. Piglets castrated without analgesia had significantly longer navigation times. These results indicate that meloxicam or ketoprofen, whether mixed with ID prior to injection or not, provide similar analgesic efficacy.