The shelf life of Tri-Solfen, a commercially available pain relief and wound care product in Australia for lambs, calves, piglets and horses, has been extended to 18 months.

Tri-Solfen is distributed in Australia and New Zealand by global veterinary pharmaceutical manufacturer, Dechra, which also distributes the Numnuts ring application and targeted pain relief system for sheep.

Dechra Business Unit Head – Farm Animal Products, Ben Austin, said the longer shelf-life ensures that resellers and producers, particularly those in remote locations, can purchase and store the pain relief product for longer periods knowing they have product on hand when it’s needed.

“The livestock industry is under increasing pressure to demonstrate high standards of animal welfare and this extension will help producers to meet those expectations.”

Mr Austin said the enhanced shelf-life was the result of Dechra’s manufacturing team at Somersby, NSW, working with overseas colleagues and local manufacturing partners to execute all of the necessary steps to achieve the extension.

“This process involved a review of the existing formulation, the development of a revised formulation, conducting small-scale trial batches and then refining the commercial manufacturing processes to ensure quality and consistency were maintained.”

He said Dechra was now undertaking additional stability studies which it hoped will support a 24-month shelf life.

Mr Austin said that, in round numbers, about 90 percent of dairy farmers routinely provide pain relief during disbudding, about 85 percent of sheep and wool producers routinely provide pain relief during mulesing and about 35 percent of beef producers routinely provide pain relief during disbudding or dehorning.

“These figures are a tremendous achievement for the sheep, wool, dairy and beef industries and demonstrate their collective commitment to meeting and exceeding the expectations of our customers in regard to animal welfare.

“Providing pain relief is a better choice, not only for animals, but for producers and the industry as a whole.”

According to manufacturer Dechra, Tri-Solfen has a unique, four-way formulation which provides immediate and lasting pain relief, reduces bleeding, protects against infection and facilitates wound healing.

It contains lignocaine and bupivacaine, two local anaesthetics that provide immediate and lasting pain relief; adrenaline, which reduces bleeding and slows the ‘inflammatory cascade’; and cetrimide, an antiseptic/surfactant that helps to protect against infection and start the healing process.

The gel formulation further assists wound healing by sealing and protecting the wound.

Tri-Solfen and Numnuts can be purchased over-the-counter without a veterinary prescription.