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| Lamb Mulesing Breakthrough – New Topical Anaesthetic Approved |
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A new product has recently been approved for use under permit by the APVMA (Australian Pesticides & Veterinary Medicines Authority) for pain relief in sheep. The product Tri-Solfen ™ was developed to provide the first anaethetic and antiseptic wound care agent for lambs undergoing mulesing.
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What is mulesing?
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Mulesing is the surgical removal of skin around a sheep's breech area (backside) to prevent wool growth and thus reduce the risk of fly strike and maggot infestation. The maggots eat away flesh, causing the sheep considerable pain and suffering and, in many cases, death.
Although performed for long-term health benefits, mulesing is a traumatic procedure that does cause pain, stress and weight loss in the lambs following the procedure. With intense campaigning from animal liberationists, which has been widely covered in the media, the Australian Wool Industry has agreed to phase out mulesing and develop an alternative by 2010.
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Topical anaesthetic approved
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There is considerable research already underway, but in the meantime mulesing is still widely practiced as a means of fly strike prevention across Australia.
The launch of the product Tri-Solfen is therefore an exciting development that helps relieve the pain and stress suffered by the lambs. It is applied as a spray immediately after the mulesing procedure and quickly anaesthetises the wound to reduce pain in the post-operative period, and also acts to reduce blood loss and promote wound healing. As well as improving the welfare of the lamb, the reduction in loss of productivity is a definite benefit to the producer.
The product has a 90 day withholding period and cannot be used on dairy sheep. Insecticidal preparations may still be used after Tri-Solfen application.
At this stage Tri-Solfen is not fully registered and can only be prescribed by a veterinarian. The veterinarian does not have to actually apply the product but the user is required to complete a questionnaire and return it to the veterinarian.
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AVA welcomes mulesing pain relief
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The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) released a media statement on 29th August, 2005 welcoming the granting of a permit for a new mulesing pain relief product.
“We strongly support the development of products that enhance the welfare of animals through the relief of pain,” said Dr Makin, the national president of the AVA.
The APVMA has approved the use of Tri-Solfen, a topical anaesthetic & antiseptic solution for pain relief in sheep.
This has the potential to reduce the pain and discomfort experienced by sheep after they have been mulesed.
Once a permit is approved by the APVMA, the product can be used by both sheep producers and/or mulesing contractors under the direction of a registered veterinary surgeon and not necessarily by the veterinary surgeon themselves.
As a result, if the product proves successful, it is expected that use of this process could soon become widespread across Australia where mulesing is applied.
The AVA accepts the practice of mulesing as a necessary sheep husbandry procedure to prevent breech strike. Breech strike is a common form of fly strike in weaner sheep and ewes, resulting in pain and distress. At the present time, mulesing is the most effective method of preventing breech strike and provides lifetime protection.
It is acknowledged that the procedure is accompanied by pain, but there is ample evidence in scientific literature that unequivocally establishes the positive health and welfare benefits conferred upon sheep in the Australian environment by correct mulesing.
This is a much-anticipated step in the right direction but the Australian Wool industry should remain focussed on its commitment to develop and implement an alternative to mulesing by 2010.
"AVA policy supports continued research into alternative methods of blowfly control that does not involve surgical removal of skin from the breech region,” said Dr Makin.
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RSPCA
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The RSPCA welcomes the development of products that benefit animal welfare by assisting in pain relief. Therefore, the RSPCA certainly supports the use of a product that provides some pain relief and assists in the healing of a wound resulting from a mulesing procedure. However, it must be recognised that this should only be seen as an interim measure and should not sidetrack the timeframe for the complete phase-out of mulesing across the sheep industry by 2010.
As the spray is applied after the mulesing process (post-operatively) the lamb must still endure being mulesed in the absence of any pain relief. The wound healing process takes several weeks, so the spray only provides short-term relief and the lambs must still deal with the pain, especially when walking, as the large wound heals and scabs over.
RSPCA Australia is encouraged by the research efforts that are endeavouring to find alternatives to mulesing. Therefore, the RSPCA sees the mulesing pain relief spray as a positive interim measure but still strongly supports the complete phase-out of mulesing and replacement of mulesing with other approaches to managing fly-strike in Australian sheep.
For further information on Tri-Solfen please contact your veterinarian.
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