Practitioners See Many Potential Uses for Newly Approved Anti-Inflammatory Agent for Cattle

Banamine reduces fever and inflammation, controls endotoxemia in BRD cattle

Bovine veterinarians say the first non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory agent approved for cattle should have no trouble finding uses on commercial feedlots, farmer-feeder operations and dairy farms.

"I think the primary use for Banamine (flunixin meglumine) will be in conjunction with an antimicrobial for cattle diagnosed with BRD (bovine respiratory disease)," says Dr. Kelly Lechtenberg, a consulting veterinarian and microbiologist in Oakland, Neb.

"We suspect that bronchopneumonia is a fairly painful event. Medical doctors commonly place patients on anti-inflammatory agents like aspirin or ibuprofen when they’re suffering from pneumonia or pleuritis. I think that cattle are also pretty uncomfortable when they have pneumonia. Banamine may be helpful in reducing the fever and inflammation associated with BRD."

Targeting toxemia

Lechtenberg also notes that many clinical signs exhibited by cattle with BRD are probably due to toxemia associated with the bacterial infection and significant tissue damage that occur when white blood cells are destroyed.

"Pasteurella haemolytica, the primary bacterial pathogen involved with BRD, releases potent leukotoxins that attack white blood cells, releasing their destructive enzymes into the surrounding tissues," he explains. "In my opinion, the resulting ‘toxemia’ is part of the reason that cattle with pneumonia show signs of depression and anorexia.

"Whatever the mechanism, I believe the toxemia is extremely important in the clinical presentation of animals with BRD," he says. "Banamine will help us by making the calves feel better while they detoxify."

Treating cattle ‘up front’

Dr. Gerald Stokka, extension beef veterinarian at Kansas State University, says Banamine could become a staple in treating sick cattle on arrival.

"Banamine could prove to be good option for us up front, when you have cattle coming into the yard and they’re running a temp of, say, 103° or 103.5°F. We know these animals are going to be in various phases of incubation and exposure to bacterial pathogens, which also means exposure to endotoxin," he explains. "If Banamine can alleviate some of the negative effects of endotoxemia, it’s likely to have a very positive role for us."

Dr. Paul Yatso, a bovine practitioner in Oconto Falls, Wisc., sees many of the same applications for Banamine in his dairy practice.

"We’ll use Banamine in non-lactating cattle for many of those toxic situations or if we get into some cases where there’s inflammation and the animal is running a fever," he says. "Many times we get calls where the animal has been down all night without being treated, so we’ll give it then to reduce the inflammation and alleviate any subsequent swelling."

The practitioner says he’s not surprised by cattle’s often dramatic response to Banamine treatments.

"While I was in vet school, we used Banamine extensively for colic in horses, and it really had some tremendous effects," he recalls. "That’s where I could see it working really well with the toxins and the pain relief, especially the gastrointestinal tract. I think we’ll be using a lot more Banamine in my practice in the future."