METACAM is the single shot, long-acting pain and inflammation reliever1 – supporting a faster, more comfortable return to the milking herd

METACAM is the proven performer to help calves bounce back faster post disbudding1,5,6,8. 

METACAM is a single shot, long-acting non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain relief2.

METACAM assists in the control of pain and inflammation following surgery and disbudding of cattle particularly that following heat cautery disbudding of young cattle2.  

METACAM takes care of calves' long-term pain making disbudding a more comfortable experience for all concerned, and improving the calves' wellbeing. Trust in METACAM at disbudding to give the calves in your care, the best care.

Talk to your local vet about METACAM effective pain relief now.

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Our world-leading dairy farmers want the best for their calves, so managing pain for those calves is always top of mind. Calves experience pain in two phases – the acute pain immediately after the procedure, followed by the chronic inflammatory phase, extending beyond the effects of the local anaesthetic.

Cute little calve in a dairy farm in New Zealand promoting calf welfare

Horns can pose a significant risk to the health and welfare of other animals and humans. Good farming practice advocates the removal of horns as early as possible. However, the disbudding of calves is a stressful and painful procedure that requires management of pain and inflammation3,4.

When disbudding is performed, the method used must minimise the pain and distress as well as other negative health consequences such as inflammation and infection3. This means that throughout the procedure, the calf must be under the influence of pain relief for that procedure.

Cute-little-calves-in-a-dairy-farm-in-New-Zealand-promoting-calf-welfare

In the absence of analgesia, disbudding pain is comparatively high. There are two phases to the pain response: acute (or fast) pain, which is felt in the first minutes of the procedure, and chronic (or slow) pain and inflammation, which is felt for hours after the initial insult.

The acute phases should be mitigated using a multimodal approach including local anaesthetic, systemic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs), and sedation. The addition of the NSAIDs helps attenuate the subsequent inflammation and associated chronic pain response4,5.

The use of local anaesthetic and NSAID is best practice for mitigating pain and inflammation when disbudding calves6. The New Zealand Veterinary Association advocates the use of long-acting analgesia alongside local anaesthetic and the addition of sedation to optimally manage calves during the procedure7.

Two-calves-on-New-Zealand-farm-promoting-pain-control-and-inflammation-at-disbudding

Controlling pain and inflammation at disbudding with NSAIDs not only improves calf welfare, but has also been shown in studies to have beneficial effects on daily liveweight gain and increase milk intake1,8.

METACAM is the single shot, long-acting pain and inflammation reliever1 – supporting a faster, more comfortable return to the milking herd

Dosage and indication (cattle):

  • For use to assist in the control of pain following the dehorning of cattle, particularly that following heat cautery dehorning of young cattle. It is recommended that the injection be administered approximately 10 minutes before dehorning and be accompanied by a cornual nerve block anaesthesia.
  • For use in acute mastitis, in combination with appropriate antibiotic therapy in lactating cows.
  • For use in acute respiratory infection with appropriate antibiotic therapy to reduce clinical signs in cattle.
  • For the alleviation of pain and inflammation associated with surgery.
  • For use in diarrhoea in combination with oral-rehydration therapy to reduce clinical signs in calves and young cattle.
  • Single use only by S/C or I/V injection at 2.5 mL/100 kg.

Withholding periods (cattle):

  • Milk: 84 hours, Meat: 10 days.
Download Metacam SDS
METACAM is the single shot, long-acting pain and inflammation reliever1 – supporting a faster, more comfortable return to the milking herd

Dosage and indication (cattle):

  • For use to assist in the control of pain following the dehorning of cattle, particularly that following heat cautery dehorning of young cattle. It is recommended that the injection be administered approximately 10 minutes before dehorning and be accompanied by a corneal nerve block anaesthesia.
  • For the alleviation of pain and inflammation associated with surgery in cattle.
  • For use in acute mastitis, in combination with appropriate antibiotic therapy in lactating cows.
  • For use in acute respiratory infection with appropriate antibiotic therapy to reduce clinical signs in cattle.
  • For use in diarrhoea in combination with oral-rehydration therapy to reduce clinical signs in calves and young cattle.
  • Single use only by S/C and I/V injection at 1.25 mL/100 kg.

Withholding periods (cattle):

  • Milk: 84 hours, Meat: 10 days
Download Metacam 40 SDS