Studies were primarily related to the assessment of pain in relation to surgical procedures , and no clear distinction was made concerning the onset of acute and chronic pain .
The metrics used within the tools appeared to focus primarily on the sensory aspect of pain , with no study clearly discriminating between the sensory and affective components of pain .
Objectives The objectives were to review systematic ally the range of assessment tools used in cats to detect the behavioural expression of pain and the evidence of their quality ; and to examine behavioural metrics ( considering both the sensory and affective domains ) used to assess pain .
Effects of tramadol hydrochloride on the thermal threshold in cats.
OBJECTIVE -To determine the thermal antinociceptive effect of oral administration of tramadol hydrochloride at doses between 0.5 and 4 mg/kg in cats . ANIMALS-6 healthy adult domestic shorthair cats . PROCEDURES -Baseline ( before drug administration ; time 0 ) thermal threshold was determined by applying a thermal probe to the thorax of each cat . Tramadol ( 0.5 , 1 , 2 , 3 , or 4 mg/kg ) or a placebo was then administered orally in accordance with a Latin square design . Thermal threshold was determined by an observer who was unaware of treatment at various times until thermal threshold returned to baseline values or 6 hours had elapsed . Plasma tramadol and O-desmethyl-tramadol concentrations were measured prior to drug administration and at 1-hour intervals thereafter . Effect-concentration data were fitted to effect maximum models . RESULTS -Highest plasma tramadol and O-desmethyl-tramadol concentrations increased with increasing tramadol dose . Significant effects of dose and time on thermal threshold were detected . Thermal threshold was significantly higher than the baseline value at 80 and 120 minutes for the 0.5 mg/kg dose , at 80 and from 120 to 360 minutes for the 2 mg/kg dose , from 40 to 360 minutes for the 3 mg/kg dose , and from 60 to 360 minutes for the 4 mg/kg dose . CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE -Tramadol induced thermal antinociception in cats . Doses of 2 to 4 mg/kg appeared necessary for induction of significant and sustained analgesic effects . Simulations predicted that 4 mg/kg every 6 hours would maintain analgesia close to the maximum effect of tramadol
Studies were primarily related to the assessment of pain in relation to surgical procedures , and no clear distinction was made concerning the onset of acute and chronic pain .
The metrics used within the tools appeared to focus primarily on the sensory aspect of pain , with no study clearly discriminating between the sensory and affective components of pain .
Objectives The objectives were to review systematic ally the range of assessment tools used in cats to detect the behavioural expression of pain and the evidence of their quality ; and to examine behavioural metrics ( considering both the sensory and affective domains ) used to assess pain .