Analgesic interventions in surgically castrated beef calves: impacts on biomarkers, thermography, and growth performance under tropical conditions.

ABSTRACT: Castration is common in beef cattle for reproductive and management purposes, but it causes pain and stress, raising welfare concerns. The adoption of perioperative anesthesia and analgesia remains uneven in tropical low- and middle-income settings, where infrastructure, costs, and weak enforcement limit its application. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different analgesic protocols on physiological stress markers and growth performance in beef calves raised under tropical conditions in Colombia. Forty-two intact Blanco Orejinegro (BON) calves were randomly assigned to three protocols: spermatic cord block with lidocaine plus tolfenamic acid (T1), low epidural anesthesia with lidocaine plus tolfenamic acid (T2), or tolfenamic acid alone (T3). All calves underwent closed surgical

SUBMITTER: Tuberquia-Lopez BC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12864252 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature