You can find a complete summary and link to this episodes research article at otovets.com/cuttingedge! 

Study Title: A new method of administering local anesthesia for calf disbudding: Findings from a comparative on-farm study in New Zealand 

Authors: Bates, Sutherland, Chapple, Dowling, Johnson, Saldias and Singh 

Objective: Describe and analyze efficacy of an alternative method for local anesthesia administration that uses local site infiltration of anesthetic over the horn bud. This study assessed differences between disbudding using the cornual nerve block and disbudding with local anesthesia administered by local site infiltration. 

Hypothesis: There would be no difference in the behavioral signs of pain and discomfort during disbudding and in the 3 h afterward and no difference in the lying and standing times in the 24 h after disbudding between calves disbudded under a cornual block and calves disbudded under the local infiltration block. 

Location:  New Zealand 

Methods: We describe an alternative method of local anesthesia administration that uses local site infiltration of anesthetic over the horn bud. However, this method has not yet been scientifically validated. This study assessed differences between disbudding using the cornual nerve block and disbudding with local anesthesia administered by local site infiltration. Efficacy of local anesthesia was assessed at 30-s intervals after administration by absence of reaction to 3 consecutive needle pricks over the horn buds. Behavior indicating pain was assessed during disbudding and scored from 0 to 3. Calf behavior was also recorded for 3 h after disbudding. Accelerometer data loggers were fitted to each calf for 24 h before and after disbudding to assess lying and standing times. 

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