New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Patent issued for research related to alleviating pain in cattle

Date:
August 27, 2014
Source:
Kansas State University
Summary:
A patent has been issued for research that alleviates pain in cattle suffering from lameness and following castration, dehorning. The patent covers administering meloxicam alone or administering a combination of meloxicam and gabapentin to help alleviate acute and chronic pain and improve the performance of cattle. Researchers found that combinations of meloxicam and gabapentin improved the welfare of cattle by reducing the severity of lameness. Meloxicam alone improved weight gain after dehorning and reduced the incidence of bovine respiratory disease after castration.
Share:
FULL STORY

A U.S. patent was recently awarded for technology created by researchers at Kansas State University that improves the health and welfare of beef cattle and other ruminant animals suffering from lameness and following castration, dehorning and other painful but necessary management procedures.

U.S. Patent No. 8,791,105, "Methods for Alleviating Chronic Pain and Improving Performance of Cattle Undergoing Dehorning or Castration," was awarded to the Kansas State University Research Foundation, a nonprofit corporation responsible for managing technology transfer activities at the university.

The patent is for research conducted while at Kansas State University by former faculty member Hans Coetzee, now a professor of clinical pharmacology at Iowa State University, and Butch Kukanich, associate professor of anatomy and physiology at Kansas State University.

The patent covers administering meloxicam alone or administering a combination of meloxicam and gabapentin to help alleviate acute and chronic pain and improve the performance of cattle. Researchers found that combinations of meloxicam and gabapentin improved the welfare of cattle by reducing the severity of lameness. Meloxicam alone improved weight gain after dehorning and reduced the incidence of bovine respiratory disease after castration.

"Once meloxicam was orally administered to beef cattle prior to these common procedures, the cattle gained more weight and had slower incidence of bovine respiratory disease because it allowed them to be more comfortable and less stressed," Kukanich said.

A significant benefit of this patented technology is that it reduces reliance on antibiotics to treat and control diseases in cattle. This reduces the risk of antibiotic resistance selection and has positive implications for both human and animal health.

The patent is available to license.

Currently, the Kansas State University Research Foundation has been awarded four patents in 2014 for inventions by university researchers.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Kansas State University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

Kansas State University. "Patent issued for research related to alleviating pain in cattle." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 August 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140827111815.htm>.
Kansas State University. (2014, August 27). Patent issued for research related to alleviating pain in cattle. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140827111815.htm
Kansas State University. "Patent issued for research related to alleviating pain in cattle." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140827111815.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES