Banamine® (flunixin meglumine) is the only pain medication labeled for use in livestock, yet companion animals experience most medical procedures with the use of short- and long-term pain management medications. Getting FDA approval for pain medications for livestock is complex because of rules intended to keep drug residues out of the food supply. Kansas State University worked with FDA to evaluate and gain approval for Banamine. Its team now works to find consistent ways to prove an animal is in pain.
Source: Iowa PBS, Market to Market, August 7, 2020. (video) Link. Looking at the way the animals change the distribution of weight on their feet is actually something that we can measure quite accurately, in addition to looking at differences in their stride lengths.” Dr. Hans Coetzee, professor and head of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Kansas State University.
“If it’s better for our pigs, we’d be fairly inclined to use it.” Todd Wiley, Iowa pork producer
INSIGHTS: If you want to see progress the industry is making, watch this. It’s a topic that can be foundational to great conversations with producers and veterinarians.