Bioavailability and efficacy of orally administered flunixin, carprofen and ketoprofen in a pain model in sheep

Abstract

The pain from routine husbandry practices performed on sheep can last several days and sheep often don't receive therapeutic interventions to provide pain relief. Attractive candidates for long-acting pain relief are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). If NSAIDs can be shown to alleviate pain and inflammation when administered orally in sheep, they could be incorporated in feed, providing producers with a practical method to provide long-term pain relief in sheep. The aim of this research was to test the bioavailability and efficacy of carprofen, ketoprofen and flunixin administered orally using a lameness model (turpentine (0.1 ml) injected into one forelimb) developed to enable objective quantitative assessment of the analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory actions of NSAIDs in sheep.