On-Demand SCGV Webinar | Evidence-best pain management in sheep: what vets should know | Dr Peter Windsor
11 March, 2026 @ 7:30 pm - 11 March, 2027 @ 11:30 pm AEDT
Free - $50.00
Global livestock industries are facing increasing expectations of sustainably increasing food & fibre production, whilst simultaneously improving ecosystem management and animal welfare. The transition to improved pain relief for better animal welfare is often challenged by huge diversity of opinion, policy and protocols, with occasional conflict apparent. This ranges from the prohibition of particular aversive husbandry interventions (e.g. rubber rings banned in the EU), through a plethora of pain management protocols (e.g. necessity or otherwise of mulesing), response measurements (e.g. direct v indirect responses), to the observation that pain relief is still absent from a majority of global farming systems (e.g. livestock pain & suffering is largely ignored in developing countries). This diversity likely reflects the complexity of the issues involved, the pace of the transition to better practices, the limitations of both the products and the interventions, plus the fact that not all products and approaches will necessarily achieve long-term commercial marketing success. Further, it is important to recognise that no pain relief protocol is likely to ever be perfect, yet the combination of the evidence-based science combined with positive experiences and observations of producers and their vets is achieving a positive transition in animal welfare.
Lamb marking procedures in most flocks are numerous (separation, ear-tagging, vaccination, tail-docking, castration and in some flocks, mulesing) and can be stressful for both lambs and ewes. Providing effective pain relief for lamb marking helps hugely in managing this important intervention. Although few pain relief options are available for food-producing animals, the high uptake in use of a topical wound therapeutic for mulesing (Tri-Solfen) has been impressive. This formulation blocks pain receptors, reducing infection risk and hastening healing. It is the most important intervention for pain relief for wounds and other lesions, including surgical castration and hot-iron tail docking. The addition of an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; eg Buccalgesic, Meloxicam) is encouraged for extension of pain management and is particularly important with non-surgical lamb marking (eg use of rubber rings for castration). As provision of pain relief for mulesing is essential and already mandatory in Victoria, it is considered increasingly desirable for other lamb marking procedures.
This webinar will explain how a basic understanding of how each of the available products work, helps to inform both pain relief expectations and the choice of the most appropriate product for the intervention used on-farm.
Who should attend
Sheep, Goat and Camelid Veterinarians
Learning outcomes
- Improved understanding of how available pain relief products work, the responses to expect, and which pain relief products are appropriate for different practices.
- Insights into how to build a pain management strategy for clients at lamb marking and for other applications.
- Technical information to support informed decision-making.
- Awareness of sustainability and market requirements, as well as customer and consumer perspectives on the provision of pain relief to sheep.
Further details
If you previously registered for the live webinar held on the 11th March 2026, please follow the steps below to access the on demand recording on My Learning:
Browse to https://mylearning.ava.com.au
Click on the Personal account button
If you are prompted, log in with your AVA website account*
When you land on the My Learning Home Page, click on the Record of Learning button. IMPORTANT: the webinar course will appear in approximately 5 minutes. You can refresh your browser during this time to speed up the process a little.
* Don’t have an AVA website account? Click here to create an account and follow the prompts. Following this, your new account and the on demand webinar will be available within the next hour. After this time, please return to the steps above.
Our speakers
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- Name
- Prof Peter Windsor
- Biography
Professor Peter Windsor is an Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Science with expertise in livestock health, production, and welfare, focusing on food security and the One Health approach in developing countries. After graduating in 1977, he worked in diagnostic pathology and disease control for NSW Agriculture before joining The University of Sydney, where he continued research and teaching for over 25 years. He is a specialist in Pathobiology and a Diplomate of the European College of Small Ruminant Health Management and continues to consult globally through his business, Production Animal Welfare & Health Services.
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- Professor Emeritus
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- Sharon Dundon
- Biography
After completing a Rural Science degree from UNE in 1996, Sharon has had 29 years’ experience working in the livestock industries - breeding and genetics, rural reselling, education and training with the Beef CRC, she has worked in the live export for 17 years (living overseas for 5 of those) and since the start of 2021 is now Project Manager for Animal Wellbeing Research, Development and Adoption with Meat and Livestock Australia.
Sharon completed a Master of Rural Science degree in 2007 which specifically focused upon the impact of long distance road transport on the welfare of cattle, with emphasis on developing scientific indices to measure and quantify animal welfare.- Job title
- Project Manager Animal Wellbeing RD&A
Our sponsors
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