Adaptation and Development of the Anesthetic Elastrator Band for use in the Canadian Lamb Industry

Project Details

Status: Active
Investment: $39,921
Commodity: Multiple Livestock
Organization: Alberta Lamb Producers
Investigator: Merle Olson

The LidoBand™ is a novel anesthetic delivering elastration ligation band that can be used with all current elastrator tools. This made-in-Alberta solution has been designed to be used by veterinarians to deliver a clinically relevant therapeutic dose of anesthetic for the duration of its application(s).

Why is this research important for Alberta ag?

Ram lambs are normally castrated for management reasons. Tail docking in sheep is done for health and hygiene reasons, to reduce the risk of flystrike and to decrease dag (manure build up) on a docked animal, thereby helping to avoid contact of the meat with bacteria at processing. All methods of castration and tail docking at any age cause pain.

Drugs effective for pain mitigation in food animals are available in Canada, but their use in lambs constitutes an extra-label drug use and these drugs must be prescribed and dispensed by a veterinarian. Pain mitigation can be achieved by the use of an injectable local anaesthetic and post-operative analgesia can be achieved when a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) is administered at the time of the procedure.

However, there are a number of challenges in applying anesthesia and analgesia to large numbers of animals in field situations, including administering local anesthesia to lambs in medium to large flocks, the difficulty of using current drug formulations, and the reluctance of veterinarians to dispense large volumes of drugs to farmers for extra-label use.

The LidoBand™ technology has the advantage over other pain administration routes in that the continual release provides pain mitigation for the entire banding process.

Pending the outcome of this research, this technology has the potential to become the standard of care during painful elastration procedures in Beef Cattle.

What benefits can producers expect from this research?

The goal of this work is to provide producers with a practical and effective tool to provide long-term pain control for banded castration and tail docking. The benefits to the Canadian lamb industry include a simplified banding procedure (eliminating the need for lidocaine injection), reduced costs, societal and animal welfare benefits associated with improved pain control, and a potentially improved product (i.e., through increased average daily gain and enhanced recovery).

Overall, this product will improve public confidence in Canadian Lamb, by promoting the highest standards in animal care, and demonstrating the safety and efficacy of new production technologies.

Canada is already recognized as a leader in food animal welfare research; however, this project could also position Canada as a leader and innovator in providing solutions to existing farm animal welfare issues. This is significant, as much of the research and development around products for improving lamb health and welfare are driven by demand in the U.S. market.

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