Here are some of the questions we’ve been asked most over the past 8 years
Numnuts is the world’s first rubber ring applicator with a pain relief delivery mechanism.
The system is comprised of 2 key elements that work together to deliver targeted pain relief during tail docking and castration:
Numnuts combines the traditional with the innovative. Our new ergonomic tool applies a standard rubber ring to cut off blood supply, while at the same time, adding the functionality of targeted pain relief via a novel multi-stage injection mechanism.
Numnuts has been validated in trials by CSIRO measuring the pain behaviours of lambs during these procedures.
Can I see case studies from people who already use Numnuts?
Yes.
We have a number of case studies and user reviews that you can have a look at. You can also see what people are saying about Numnuts on social media.
For Case Studies and User Reviews: click here
For Social Media: click here
Is Numnuts available in my country?
UK:
Numnuts is now available in the UK.
The Numnuts device and all other hardware and spares can be bought directly from our online shop. Local anaesthetic can be bought from your vet.
Australia & New Zealand:
Numnuts is available in Australia and New Zealand.
Please refer to www.numnuts.store for further information.
Rest of World:
Numnuts is not currently available outside of the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Every country regulates the use of anaesthetic differently, and getting approval for Numnuts must be done separately for each individual country. This is a very involved and time consuming process and as such we are only able to focus on one country at a time.
Numnuts is available on a ‘cost per procedure basis’ and is competitively priced against current pain relief products.
You can find our how much it will cost you by trying our cost estimator tool.
If you are based in New Zealand, please contact Agilis Vet Supplies for price information.
What do I need to buy to use Numnuts?
There are two components to Numnuts that you will need:
The ring applicator tool will last for many seasons.
The 100 mL bottle of local anaesthetic attaches to the Numnuts Device using a Bottle Mount, that locks on top of the ring applicator tool, ensuring there is a sterile bottle of pain relief drug ready to use.
Local anaesthetic should be purchased from your Vet. To find out more visit our page Local Anaesthetic & Numnuts.
How do I buy a Numnuts Device?
UK:
Numnuts devices and spare parts can be bought directly from our online store or from our UK distributor, Merlin Vet.
Australia:
Numnuts devices and spare parts can no longer be bought directly from our online store.
Numnuts and NumOcaine can now be bought directly from your Vet or from your local Rural Store. To find out more, please visit the Numnuts Australia website.
New Zealand:
To buy a Numnuts device please contact Agilis Vet Supplies.
How do I buy local anaesthetic?
Local anaesthetics are classified as POM-V medicines (prescription only veterinary medicines) and must be bought directly from your vet.
To find out more visit our page Local Anaesthetic & Numnuts.
Can Numnuts be used for tail docking?
Yes.
Numnuts has been especially developed for both castration and tail docking of lambs.
Can I use Numnuts for marking both male and female lambs?
Yes.
Marking lambs usually involves both tail docking and castration, and Numnuts has been especially developed to do both. With Numnuts you can:
Does Numnuts work with normal rubber rings and a ring dispensing system?
Yes.
The Numnuts system has been designed to utilise traditional rubber rings — a bloodless and highly effective, farmer-friendly method for castration and tail docking lambs that is used in many countries.
Do I need any special equipment to use Numnuts?
Yes.
Numnuts is recommended for use on lambs that are 4 weeks and older, and has been designed for use on lambs held in the type of marking cradle commonly used in Australia and New Zealand. Numnuts can be used without a lamb marking cradle, however a form of restraint (either a cradle or lamb marking chute or second person and a table/bench) is required to hold the lambs that will be typically >12kg.
Lamb marking is a busy time! How long does Numnuts take to apply?
A trained operator can apply Numnuts in 2-3 seconds.
We believe the marginal additional time taken to push the local anaesthetic injection plunger on the Numnuts device is offset by the improved ergonomics and reduced RSI associated with using our unique innovative tool for applying rings to the tail and scrotum at marking.
Numnuts engineers worked alongside veterinarians, stockpersons, shepherds and farmers to ensure that Numnuts is safe, fast and practical to use by animal handlers familiar with marking lambs.
How old should my lambs be when I mark using Numnuts?
Numnuts is designed to be used on lambs up to 12 weeks of age, however regulations controlling marking practices varies between countries.
In Australia, animal husbandry practice guidelines recommend marking lambs between 2 to 8 weeks of age, whereas government regulations indicate that marking should, where possible, occur between 2 and 12 weeks of age.
I’m a UK sheep farmer, can I now ring my lambs after 7 days old?
In Scotland, lambs over 7 days old must be given a local anaesthetic prior to castration, which is exactly what Numnuts delivers. However, lambs more than 3 months old may only be castrated by a vet (Veterinary Surgeons Act, 1966).
For more information on using Numnuts in Scotland read our blog post here.
In contrast, the current legislation in England and Wales is more restrictive, with rubber rings for castration or tail docking being prohibited on lambs older than 7 days.
You can read more about the UK Government’s (DEFRA) position here.
Can I use Numnuts to castrate calves?
Numnuts is designed for marking lambs.
No efficacy data currently exists for the use of Numnuts in calves. A Numnuts device for calves is in future development pipeline.
If you are interested in using Numnuts on your calves please get in touch with us at [email protected].
How effective is Numnuts in alleviating pain?
Numnuts substantially reduces the pain lambs experience when they are marked, however Numnuts does not alleviate all the pain a lamb experiences during castration and tail docking.
For a lamb, marking may be similar to the human experience of visiting a dentist. For a human, having a filling or a tooth extraction after an injection of local anaesthetic is usually not without some pain. Similarly at present, pain relief provide by Numnuts does not abolish all the pain associated with marking.
Numnuts has been developed in collaboration with veterinarians and animal behavioural scientists at two world leading animal health and animal welfare research organisations; Moredun Research Institute and CSIRO with the goal of reducing the pain experienced by lambs at marking.
How long does local anaesthetic take to start working?
Local anaesthetic is extremely quick acting and takes effect in 1 – 5 minutes after injection.
How long does the pain relief last?
Research shows that marked animals experience acute ischemic pain, which is most severe 15 – 45 minutes after ring application.
Local anaesthetic provides fast acting pain relief in the first 45 minutes, when lambs experience this acute pain caused by the loss of blood flow from ring application.
How many doses of local anaesthetic are in a bottle?
The Numnuts tool delivers a 1.5mL dose.
There are 65 doses per 100mL bottle of local anaesthetic.
Local anaesthetic (LA) is the ideal class of drug for reducing acute pain – it is a powerful drug that quickly blocks the transmission of pain signals by nerves.
Local anaesthetic is injected directly where the ring is applied to the tail and scrotum. The marking ring disrupts blood flow to the tail and testicles, and the pain of ring castration and ring tail docking commences at these sites. Pain develops around 2 – 5 minutes after band application from loss of oxygen supply, and the acute pain associated with the procedure lasts 60-90 minutes. LA reduces the conduction of pain by nerves for a similar time frame.
Local anaesthetics are therefore an excellent choice for reducing the acute pain when lambs are marked with a rubber ring.
In contrast, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have a slower onset than local anaesthetics. They act by a different pathway to reduce the production of chemicals that provoke tissue inflammation and pain, called prostaglandins. NSAIDs are a good choice for reducing dull and chronic pain, once the immediate and most intense phases of pain have passed.
Is there a measurable productivity benefit using analgesia at lamb marking?
We have shown a significant improvement in the time it takes lambs to find their mothers and start suckling after having had local anaesthetic administered with rubber ring. Numerous farmers have also reported that Numnuts lambs muster better, and can be herded back to the paddocks/ fields faster, with less dog intervention and less misadventure.
Most experts in this field feel it is unlikely that benefits from pain management at lamb marking will ever be measurable in terms of improved end production or profitability. Whatever temporary productivity setback a lamb might suffer without pain relief will have been compensated for by the time it (or its wool) goes to market. That compensation is likely to come at the cost of poorer feed conversion, but, under extensive production conditions, we simply do not have the instruments with which to measure this accurately.
The profitability the farmer will see is the knowledge that they are doing the right thing for their animals during necessary husbandry procedures, while sustaining continued access to a sheep-meat-eating and wool-producing consumer market that is showing an increased interest in the welfare of the animals that produce the meat and wool that they consume.
Why do we tail dock and castrate lambs?
Tail docking reduces soiling of wool with urine and faeces. This reduces the risk of sheep contracting the painful, and potentially fatal, disease ‘fly-strike’, and reduces the risk of carcass contamination in the abattoir.
Castration reduces fighting between males, improves meat and wool quality, and enables the farmer to selectively breed sheep for beneficial traits by use of superior sires.
What is the best practice tail length?
This article provides information on tail length best practice guidelines:
http://www.flyboss.com.au/management/tail-length.php
I am a Vet. How do I become a Numnuts stockist?
If you are a registered vet in the UK and would like to become a Numnuts supplier, please fill out our vet registration form.
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When will Numnuts be available outside of Australia?
Numnuts and NumOcaine are now available in Australia.
Numnuts devices and spare parts can be bought directly from our online store.
NumOcaine is an S4 drug and must be bought from a registered vet. Please speak to your usual vet to arrange your NumOcaine supply, or get in touch with us for advice.
We hope to make the Numnuts system available in the UK and NZ in 2020. We are actively seeking UK Vet practices who wish to partner.
Is Numnuts suitable for marking both female and male lambs?
Yes.
Marking lambs usually involves both tail docking and castration. Numnuts has been especially developed for the combined procedure of docking the tail of male and female lambs as well as castrating male lambs with rubber ring.
Numnuts is available on a ‘cost per procedure basis’ and is competitively priced against current pain relief products.
If you are based in Australia, you can find our how much it will cost you by trying our cost estimator tool.
What do I need to buy to use Numnuts?
There are two components to Numnuts: the ring applicator tool and the local anaesthetic, called NumOcaine®.
The ring applicator tool will last for many seasons.
The local anaesthetic comes in an injector cartridge, called a Quick Change Cartridge (QCC), that locks on top of the ring applicator tool, and is replaced every 65 shots. This procedure ensures there is a sterile bottle of pain relief drug ready to use in each new cartridge.
The packaging has been carefully designed for operator convenience, and for operator and lamb safety. Using a new needle with every other injector cartridge helps minimise the risk of infection to the lamb, and ensures that the needle remains sharp. This innovation is more humane than the common practice of using a single needle for 100s of animal injections, for instance during vaccination and some worm treatments.
In Australia, NumOcaine® is classified as an S4 drug and must be bought from a registered veterinarian. Regulations controlling the supply of the NumOcaine® injector module will vary between countries. Further details will be provided on this website when country-specific details become available.
Does Numnuts work with normal rubber rings and a ring dispensing system?
Yes. The Numnuts system has been designed to utilise traditional rubber rings — a bloodless and highly effective, farmer-friendly method for castration and tail docking lambs that is used in many countries.
Do I need any special equipment to use Numnuts?
Numnuts has been designed for use on lambs held in the type of marking cradle commonly used in Australia and New Zealand, however Numnuts can also be used without a lamb marking cradle.
When lambs more than 7 days of age are marked, a cradle improves the ease with which lambs are held for marking. When lamb marking is carried out at 2-8 weeks of age an animal handling system like a lamb marking cradle is recommended.
Lamb marking is a busy time! How long does Numnuts take to apply?
A trained operator can apply Numnuts in 2-3 seconds.
We believe the marginal additional time taken to push the local anaesthetic injection plunger on the Numnuts device is offset by the improved ergonomics and reduced RSI associated with using our unique innovative tool for applying rings to the tail and scrotum at marking.
Numnuts engineers worked alongside veterinarians, stockpersons, shepherds and farmers to ensure that Numnuts is safe, fast and practical to use by animal handlers familiar with marking lambs.
How effective is Numnuts in alleviating pain?
Numnuts does not alleviate all the pain a lamb experiences during castration and tail docking. Numnuts reduces the pain lambs experience substantially when they are marked.
For a lamb, marking may be similar to the human experience of visiting a dentist. For a human, having a filling or a tooth extraction after an injection of local anaesthetic is usually not without some pain. Similarly at present, pain relief provide by Numnuts does not abolish all the pain associated with marking.
Numnuts has been developed in collaboration with veterinarians and animal behavioural scientists at two world leading animal health and animal welfare research organisations; Moredun Research Institute and CSIRO with the goal of reducing the pain experienced by lambs at marking.
What’s the difference between local anaesthetics (LA) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)?
Local Anaesthetic (LA) is the ideal class of drug for reducing acute pain. NumOcaine®, the LA in Numnuts, is a powerful drug that quickly blocks the transmission of pain signals by nerves.
NumOcaine® is injected directly where the ring is applied to the tail and scrotum. The marking ring disrupts blood flow to the tail and testicles, and the pain of ring castration and ring tail docking commences at these sites. Pain develops around 2 – 5 minutes after band application from loss of oxygen supply, and the acute pain associated with the procedure lasts 60-90 minutes. LA reduces the conduction of pain by nerves for a similar time frame.
Local anaesthetics are therefore an excellent choice for reducing the acute pain when lambs are marked with a rubber ring.
In contrast, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have a slower onset than local anaesthetics. They act by a different pathway to reduce the production of chemicals that provoke tissue inflammation and pain, called prostaglandins. NSAIDs are a good choice for reducing dull and chronic pain, once the immediate and most intense phases of pain have passed.
What is the withholding period for lambs treated with Numnuts?
The withholding period for NumOcaine® in Australia is 0 days.
Is there a measurable productivity benefit using analgesia at lamb marking?
We have shown a significant improvement in the time it takes lambs to find their mothers and start suckling after having had NumOcaine administered with rubber ring. Numerous farmers have also reported that Numnuts lambs muster better, and can be herded back to the paddocks/ fields faster, with less dog intervention and less misadventure.
Most experts in this field feel it is unlikely that benefits from pain management at lamb marking will ever be measurable in terms of improved end production or profitability. Whatever temporary productivity setback a lamb might suffer without pain relief will have been compensated for by the time it (or its wool) goes to market. That compensation is likely to come at the cost of poorer feed conversion, but, under extensive production conditions, we simply do not have the instruments with which to measure this accurately.
The profitability the farmer will see is the knowledge that they are doing the right thing for their animals during necessary husbandry procedures, while sustaining continued access to a sheep-meat-eating and wool-producing consumer market that is showing an increased interest in the welfare of the animals that produce the meat and wool that they consume.
How old should my lambs be when I mark using Numnuts?
Regulations controlling marking practices varies between countries. In Australia, animal husbandry practice guidelines recommend marking lambs between 2 to 8 weeks of age, whereas government regulations indicate that marking should, where possible, occur between 2 and 12 weeks of age. Numnuts is designed to be used on lambs up to 12 weeks of age.
Can I use Numnuts for knife castration and tail docking?
Numnuts is designed for castrating and tail docking lambs using rubber rings. However ‘Ring and Remove’ is an option: a ring can be placed on the tail using the Numnuts device and NumOcaine administered, and then tail removed on the distal side of the ring. Efficacy of ‘Ring and Remove’ has not yet been evaluated.
Why do we tail dock and castrate lambs?
Tail docking reduces soiling of wool with urine and faeces. This reduces the risk of sheep contracting the painful, and potentially fatal, disease ‘fly-strike’, and reduces the risk of carcass contamination in the abattoir.
Castration reduces fighting between males, improves meat and wool quality, and enables the farmer to selectively breed sheep for beneficial traits by use of superior sires.
What is the best practice tail length?
This article provides information on tail length best practice guidelines:
http://www.flyboss.com.au/management/tail-length.php
Can I use Numnuts to castrate calves?
Numnuts is designed for marking lambs. NumOcaine is approved for calves – however they will likely need more than one dose. No efficacy data currently exists. A future Numnuts device for calves is in future development pipeline.
If you are interested in being involved in using Numnuts on your calves please get in touch with us at [email protected].
I’m a UK sheep farmer, can I now ring my lambs after 7 days old?
Yes.
Lambs over 7 days old must be given a local anaesthetic prior to castration, which is exactly what Numnuts delivers.
However, lambs more than 3 months old may only be castrated by a vet (Veterinary Surgeons Act, 1966)
When will Numnuts be available outside of Australia?
Numnuts and NumOcaine are now available in Australia.
Numnuts devices and spare parts can be bought directly from our online store.
NumOcaine is an S4 drug and must be bought from a registered vet. Please speak to your usual vet to arrange your NumOcaine supply, or get in touch with us for advice.
We hope to make the Numnuts system available in the UK and NZ in 2020. We are actively seeking UK Vet practices who wish to partner.
Is Numnuts suitable for marking both female and male lambs?
Yes.
Marking lambs usually involves both tail docking and castration. Numnuts has been especially developed for the combined procedure of docking the tail of male and female lambs as well as castrating male lambs with rubber ring.
Numnuts is available on a ‘cost per procedure basis’ and is competitively priced against current pain relief products.
If you are based in Australia, you can find our how much it will cost you by trying our cost estimator tool.
What do I need to buy to use Numnuts?
There are two components to Numnuts: the ring applicator tool and the local anaesthetic, called NumOcaine®.
The ring applicator tool will last for many seasons.
The local anaesthetic comes in an injector cartridge, called a Quick Change Cartridge (QCC), that locks on top of the ring applicator tool, and is replaced every 65 shots. This procedure ensures there is a sterile bottle of pain relief drug ready to use in each new cartridge.
The packaging has been carefully designed for operator convenience, and for operator and lamb safety. Using a new needle with every other injector cartridge helps minimise the risk of infection to the lamb, and ensures that the needle remains sharp. This innovation is more humane than the common practice of using a single needle for 100s of animal injections, for instance during vaccination and some worm treatments.
In Australia, NumOcaine® is classified as an S4 drug and must be bought from a registered veterinarian. Regulations controlling the supply of the NumOcaine® injector module will vary between countries. Further details will be provided on this website when country-specific details become available.
Does Numnuts work with normal rubber rings and a ring dispensing system?
Yes. The Numnuts system has been designed to utilise traditional rubber rings — a bloodless and highly effective, farmer-friendly method for castration and tail docking lambs that is used in many countries.
Do I need any special equipment to use Numnuts?
Numnuts has been designed for use on lambs held in the type of marking cradle commonly used in Australia and New Zealand, however Numnuts can also be used without a lamb marking cradle.
When lambs more than 7 days of age are marked, a cradle improves the ease with which lambs are held for marking. When lamb marking is carried out at 2-8 weeks of age an animal handling system like a lamb marking cradle is recommended.
Lamb marking is a busy time! How long does Numnuts take to apply?
A trained operator can apply Numnuts in 2-3 seconds.
We believe the marginal additional time taken to push the local anaesthetic injection plunger on the Numnuts device is offset by the improved ergonomics and reduced RSI associated with using our unique innovative tool for applying rings to the tail and scrotum at marking.
Numnuts engineers worked alongside veterinarians, stockpersons, shepherds and farmers to ensure that Numnuts is safe, fast and practical to use by animal handlers familiar with marking lambs.
How effective is Numnuts in alleviating pain?
Numnuts does not alleviate all the pain a lamb experiences during castration and tail docking. Numnuts reduces the pain lambs experience substantially when they are marked.
For a lamb, marking may be similar to the human experience of visiting a dentist. For a human, having a filling or a tooth extraction after an injection of local anaesthetic is usually not without some pain. Similarly at present, pain relief provide by Numnuts does not abolish all the pain associated with marking.
Numnuts has been developed in collaboration with veterinarians and animal behavioural scientists at two world leading animal health and animal welfare research organisations; Moredun Research Institute and CSIRO with the goal of reducing the pain experienced by lambs at marking.
What’s the difference between local anaesthetics (LA) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)?
Local Anaesthetic (LA) is the ideal class of drug for reducing acute pain. NumOcaine®, the LA in Numnuts, is a powerful drug that quickly blocks the transmission of pain signals by nerves.
NumOcaine® is injected directly where the ring is applied to the tail and scrotum. The marking ring disrupts blood flow to the tail and testicles, and the pain of ring castration and ring tail docking commences at these sites. Pain develops around 2 – 5 minutes after band application from loss of oxygen supply, and the acute pain associated with the procedure lasts 60-90 minutes. LA reduces the conduction of pain by nerves for a similar time frame.
Local anaesthetics are therefore an excellent choice for reducing the acute pain when lambs are marked with a rubber ring.
In contrast, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have a slower onset than local anaesthetics. They act by a different pathway to reduce the production of chemicals that provoke tissue inflammation and pain, called prostaglandins. NSAIDs are a good choice for reducing dull and chronic pain, once the immediate and most intense phases of pain have passed.
What is the withholding period for lambs treated with Numnuts?
The withholding period for NumOcaine® in Australia is 0 days.
Is there a measurable productivity benefit using analgesia at lamb marking?
We have shown a significant improvement in the time it takes lambs to find their mothers and start suckling after having had NumOcaine administered with rubber ring. Numerous farmers have also reported that Numnuts lambs muster better, and can be herded back to the paddocks/ fields faster, with less dog intervention and less misadventure.
Most experts in this field feel it is unlikely that benefits from pain management at lamb marking will ever be measurable in terms of improved end production or profitability. Whatever temporary productivity setback a lamb might suffer without pain relief will have been compensated for by the time it (or its wool) goes to market. That compensation is likely to come at the cost of poorer feed conversion, but, under extensive production conditions, we simply do not have the instruments with which to measure this accurately.
The profitability the farmer will see is the knowledge that they are doing the right thing for their animals during necessary husbandry procedures, while sustaining continued access to a sheep-meat-eating and wool-producing consumer market that is showing an increased interest in the welfare of the animals that produce the meat and wool that they consume.
How old should my lambs be when I mark using Numnuts?
Regulations controlling marking practices varies between countries. In Australia, animal husbandry practice guidelines recommend marking lambs between 2 to 8 weeks of age, whereas government regulations indicate that marking should, where possible, occur between 2 and 12 weeks of age. Numnuts is designed to be used on lambs up to 12 weeks of age.
Can I use Numnuts for knife castration and tail docking?
Numnuts is designed for castrating and tail docking lambs using rubber rings. However ‘Ring and Remove’ is an option: a ring can be placed on the tail using the Numnuts device and NumOcaine administered, and then tail removed on the distal side of the ring. Efficacy of ‘Ring and Remove’ has not yet been evaluated.
Why do we tail dock and castrate lambs?
Tail docking reduces soiling of wool with urine and faeces. This reduces the risk of sheep contracting the painful, and potentially fatal, disease ‘fly-strike’, and reduces the risk of carcass contamination in the abattoir.
Castration reduces fighting between males, improves meat and wool quality, and enables the farmer to selectively breed sheep for beneficial traits by use of superior sires.
What is the best practice tail length?
This article provides information on tail length best practice guidelines:
http://www.flyboss.com.au/management/tail-length.php
Can I use Numnuts to castrate calves?
Numnuts is designed for marking lambs. NumOcaine is approved for calves – however they will likely need more than one dose. No efficacy data currently exists. A future Numnuts device for calves is in future development pipeline.
If you are interested in being involved in using Numnuts on your calves please get in touch with us at [email protected].
I’m a UK sheep farmer, can I now ring my lambs after 7 days old?
Yes.
Lambs over 7 days old must be given a local anaesthetic prior to castration, which is exactly what Numnuts delivers.
However, lambs more than 3 months old may only be castrated by a vet (Veterinary Surgeons Act, 1966)
When will Numnuts be available outside of Australia?
Numnuts and NumOcaine are now available in Australia.
Numnuts devices and spare parts can be bought directly from our online store.
NumOcaine is an S4 drug and must be bought from a registered vet. Please speak to your usual vet to arrange your NumOcaine supply, or get in touch with us for advice.
We hope to make the Numnuts system available in the UK and NZ in 2020. We are actively seeking UK Vet practices who wish to partner.
Is Numnuts suitable for marking both female and male lambs?
Yes.
Marking lambs usually involves both tail docking and castration. Numnuts has been especially developed for the combined procedure of docking the tail of male and female lambs as well as castrating male lambs with rubber ring.
Numnuts is available on a ‘cost per procedure basis’ and is competitively priced against current pain relief products.
If you are based in Australia, you can find our how much it will cost you by trying our cost estimator tool.
What do I need to buy to use Numnuts?
There are two components to Numnuts: the ring applicator tool and the local anaesthetic, called NumOcaine®.
The ring applicator tool will last for many seasons.
The local anaesthetic comes in an injector cartridge, called a Quick Change Cartridge (QCC), that locks on top of the ring applicator tool, and is replaced every 65 shots. This procedure ensures there is a sterile bottle of pain relief drug ready to use in each new cartridge.
The packaging has been carefully designed for operator convenience, and for operator and lamb safety. Using a new needle with every other injector cartridge helps minimise the risk of infection to the lamb, and ensures that the needle remains sharp. This innovation is more humane than the common practice of using a single needle for 100s of animal injections, for instance during vaccination and some worm treatments.
In Australia, NumOcaine® is classified as an S4 drug and must be bought from a registered veterinarian. Regulations controlling the supply of the NumOcaine® injector module will vary between countries. Further details will be provided on this website when country-specific details become available.
Does Numnuts work with normal rubber rings and a ring dispensing system?
Yes. The Numnuts system has been designed to utilise traditional rubber rings — a bloodless and highly effective, farmer-friendly method for castration and tail docking lambs that is used in many countries.
Do I need any special equipment to use Numnuts?
Numnuts has been designed for use on lambs held in the type of marking cradle commonly used in Australia and New Zealand, however Numnuts can also be used without a lamb marking cradle.
When lambs more than 7 days of age are marked, a cradle improves the ease with which lambs are held for marking. When lamb marking is carried out at 2-8 weeks of age an animal handling system like a lamb marking cradle is recommended.
Lamb marking is a busy time! How long does Numnuts take to apply?
A trained operator can apply Numnuts in 2-3 seconds.
We believe the marginal additional time taken to push the local anaesthetic injection plunger on the Numnuts device is offset by the improved ergonomics and reduced RSI associated with using our unique innovative tool for applying rings to the tail and scrotum at marking.
Numnuts engineers worked alongside veterinarians, stockpersons, shepherds and farmers to ensure that Numnuts is safe, fast and practical to use by animal handlers familiar with marking lambs.
How effective is Numnuts in alleviating pain?
Numnuts does not alleviate all the pain a lamb experiences during castration and tail docking. Numnuts reduces the pain lambs experience substantially when they are marked.
For a lamb, marking may be similar to the human experience of visiting a dentist. For a human, having a filling or a tooth extraction after an injection of local anaesthetic is usually not without some pain. Similarly at present, pain relief provide by Numnuts does not abolish all the pain associated with marking.
Numnuts has been developed in collaboration with veterinarians and animal behavioural scientists at two world leading animal health and animal welfare research organisations; Moredun Research Institute and CSIRO with the goal of reducing the pain experienced by lambs at marking.
What’s the difference between local anaesthetics (LA) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)?
Local Anaesthetic (LA) is the ideal class of drug for reducing acute pain. NumOcaine®, the LA in Numnuts, is a powerful drug that quickly blocks the transmission of pain signals by nerves.
NumOcaine® is injected directly where the ring is applied to the tail and scrotum. The marking ring disrupts blood flow to the tail and testicles, and the pain of ring castration and ring tail docking commences at these sites. Pain develops around 2 – 5 minutes after band application from loss of oxygen supply, and the acute pain associated with the procedure lasts 60-90 minutes. LA reduces the conduction of pain by nerves for a similar time frame.
Local anaesthetics are therefore an excellent choice for reducing the acute pain when lambs are marked with a rubber ring.
In contrast, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have a slower onset than local anaesthetics. They act by a different pathway to reduce the production of chemicals that provoke tissue inflammation and pain, called prostaglandins. NSAIDs are a good choice for reducing dull and chronic pain, once the immediate and most intense phases of pain have passed.
What is the withholding period for lambs treated with Numnuts?
The withholding period for NumOcaine® in Australia is 0 days.
Is there a measurable productivity benefit using analgesia at lamb marking?
We have shown a significant improvement in the time it takes lambs to find their mothers and start suckling after having had NumOcaine administered with rubber ring. Numerous farmers have also reported that Numnuts lambs muster better, and can be herded back to the paddocks/ fields faster, with less dog intervention and less misadventure.
Most experts in this field feel it is unlikely that benefits from pain management at lamb marking will ever be measurable in terms of improved end production or profitability. Whatever temporary productivity setback a lamb might suffer without pain relief will have been compensated for by the time it (or its wool) goes to market. That compensation is likely to come at the cost of poorer feed conversion, but, under extensive production conditions, we simply do not have the instruments with which to measure this accurately.
The profitability the farmer will see is the knowledge that they are doing the right thing for their animals during necessary husbandry procedures, while sustaining continued access to a sheep-meat-eating and wool-producing consumer market that is showing an increased interest in the welfare of the animals that produce the meat and wool that they consume.
How old should my lambs be when I mark using Numnuts?
Regulations controlling marking practices varies between countries. In Australia, animal husbandry practice guidelines recommend marking lambs between 2 to 8 weeks of age, whereas government regulations indicate that marking should, where possible, occur between 2 and 12 weeks of age. Numnuts is designed to be used on lambs up to 12 weeks of age.
Can I use Numnuts for knife castration and tail docking?
Numnuts is designed for castrating and tail docking lambs using rubber rings. However ‘Ring and Remove’ is an option: a ring can be placed on the tail using the Numnuts device and NumOcaine administered, and then tail removed on the distal side of the ring. Efficacy of ‘Ring and Remove’ has not yet been evaluated.
Why do we tail dock and castrate lambs?
Tail docking reduces soiling of wool with urine and faeces. This reduces the risk of sheep contracting the painful, and potentially fatal, disease ‘fly-strike’, and reduces the risk of carcass contamination in the abattoir.
Castration reduces fighting between males, improves meat and wool quality, and enables the farmer to selectively breed sheep for beneficial traits by use of superior sires.
What is the best practice tail length?
This article provides information on tail length best practice guidelines:
http://www.flyboss.com.au/management/tail-length.php
Can I use Numnuts to castrate calves?
Numnuts is designed for marking lambs. NumOcaine is approved for calves – however they will likely need more than one dose. No efficacy data currently exists. A future Numnuts device for calves is in future development pipeline.
If you are interested in being involved in using Numnuts on your calves please get in touch with us at [email protected].
I’m a UK sheep farmer, can I now ring my lambs after 7 days old?
Yes.
Lambs over 7 days old must be given a local anaesthetic prior to castration, which is exactly what Numnuts delivers.
However, lambs more than 3 months old may only be castrated by a vet (Veterinary Surgeons Act, 1966)
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