Clinical efficacy of carprofen as an adjunct to the antibacterial treatment of bovine respiratory disease

A clinical trial was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of a single dose of carprofen (CPF) in the treatment of bovine respiratory disease in cattle. Tilmicosin was used as a basal treatment in all animals. Six hours after dosing, body temperature and respiratory rates in animals treated with CPF-tilmicosin had decreased and were significantly lower than in the animals treated with tilmicosin alone (P < 0.05). Over the period of clinical observation, CPF-tilmicosin treatment produced a clinical resolution of the pneumonia similar to treatment with tilmicosin alone. However, it is significant from an animal welfare perspective that over the period of the study after treatment, CPF-tilmicosin therapy produced significantly greater symptomatic improvement than tilmicosin.