"Simple Summary
Painful conditions or procedures are often experienced by dairy cattle, whether because of management practices or disease. While prevention of painful procedures and diseases should always be a goal, there are still painful occurrences that are unavoidable. In these cases where pain cannot be avoided, pain control should be used to appropriately manage pain. Proper management of pain is important for animal health and welfare and is an important consideration for the sustainability of dairy production. This review discusses several of the common pain related practices in dairy production, as well as the recommended pain management practices, effects of pain management, industry program requirements, and current levels of pain management adoption by producers and veterinarians in Europe and North America."