Effect of meloxicam administration on piglet exploratory behavior and stress post-castration

Implementing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as meloxicam at the time of castration can mitigate pain experienced at the time of castration and following the procedure. Previous research demonstrates that castration is painful and more research is needed to make a change in the industry to incorporate pain relief protocols during castration. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of meloxicam administration on piglet exploratory behavior and stress post-castration. Piglets (n=19) were enrolled on the trial at 13 to 15 days of age and underwent a two-week acclimation period. Piglets were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: 1) control and 2) Meloxicam (1.0 mg/kg PO). At baseline, piglets were transported individually to the testing room and behavior was evaluated for three minutes using live observation. On test day, piglets received treatment and castrated approximately 15 minutes post treatment administration. Castrated piglets were then transported to the testing room individually and piglet behavior was evaluated for three minutes. There was no difference between the latency to touch an object or researcher pre and post-castration (P> 0.05). Regardless of treatment, there was a 41.8 ± 33.6 second (Mean ± SD) latency for the piglet to touch an object and a 129 ± 28.6 second (Mean ± SD) latency for the piglet to touch the researcher. Regardless of treatment, there was a 50.3 ± 50.3 second (Mean ± SD) latency to touch an object and a 107.7 ± 51.8 second (Mean ± SD) to touch the researcher. There was no treatment effect on the latency to touch an object or researcher in the pre or post-castration behavioral assessments (P>0.05). Additionally, there was no difference between pre-castration and post-castration thromboxane B2 levels (P> 0.05). Treatment had no effect on thromboxane B2 levels (Table 3).No embargoAcademic Major: Animal Science