Associations Between Non-Steroidal and Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use, Welfare, and Milk Production in Dairy Sheep: A Multivariate Study

Abstract

This study examines the use of analgesic medications among sheep farmers, highlighting both their benefits and the significant gaps in their adoption. Our findings indicate that 26.7% of sheep farmers did not utilize any analgesics, a figure that contrasts sharply with high usage rates among swine (over 80%) and cattle (over 85%) farmers. The low utilization of NSAIDs and corticosteroids in sheep farming may be attributed to inadequate education and the lack of approved indications for these medications in Greece. Additionally, we found a positive correlation between farm size and the use of NSAIDs, with larger farms using more NSAIDs, especially flunixin. Furthermore, farms with higher NSAID use-typically the larger ones-tended to have higher milk yields, suggesting that enhanced management practices may contribute to improved outcomes. The results underscore the need for targeted educational initiatives to improve the use of analgesics in sheep farming and address welfare concerns. Overall, this research highlights the importance of addressing gaps in pain management practices in the sheep farming sector to promote better animal welfare. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to expand our understanding of analgesic use and its implications for sheep welfare.

Keywords: corticosteroids (SAIDs); flunixin meglumine; meloxicam; milk yield; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); pain management; sheep; welfare assessment.

Figure 1

Farm mapping: the farms’ coordinates are represented with the blue dots in the map.

Figure 2

Distribution of treatment strategies among dairy sheep farms.

Figure 3

Distribution of Total Welfare Scores across farms.

Figure 4

Bar chart of significant predictors of total milk yield.