Flunixin Meglumine as Adjunct Therapy for Bovine Respiratory Disease in Stocker Cattle

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a complex syndrome caused by several viruses complicated by secondary bacterial infections. The economic consequences of this syndrome are considerable, in terms of loss from death, decreased growth performance, increased medication costs, and labor. There is a wide variety of therapeutic options, most of which involve the use of antibiotics. There is increasing pressure from consumers to reduce the use of antibiotics in food animals, primarily because of concerns about the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In addition, the trade barriers with regards to antibiotics in food animals established by the European Union will have significant economic impact on U.S. producers. It will become important for industry and producers to seek therapies that will reduce the use of antibiotics in production animal medicine. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been widely used in veterinary medicine to reduce the effects of inflammatory mediators produced during bacterial infection (Higgins et al., 1986, Balmer et al., 1997, Bottoms et al., 1981, Selman et al., 1986, and Vernimb et al., 1977). Their mode of action involves the inhibition of cyclooxygenase, as well as prostaglandins and thromboxane B 2 (Anderson et al., 1990) These products of inflammation are presumed to be responsible for much of the lung damage seen with BRD (Mosier, 1997). Flunixin meglumine is a NSAID that has been approved for use in beef cattle. The purpose of this study was to examine flunixin meglumine as adjunct therapy for BRD in stressed stocker cattle.