Evidence related to the use of ancillary drugs in bovine respiratory disease (anti-inflammatory and others): are they justified or not?

The therapeutic approach for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) includes antimicrobial treatment due to the frequent implication of bacteria. The data concerning the use of ancillary drugs (such as anti-inflammatory drugs or immunomodulators) are scant and often are based on experimental models of BRD. The effect of NSAIDs on pulmonary lesions, despite appearing beneficial, remains to be confirmed in well-designed, long-term trials. The impact on weight gain is inconsistent in these studies. This review emphasized the need for articles concerning clinical trials to clearly state study inclusion criteria, and definitions of clinical scores, relapses, and treatment failures to be properly evaluated.