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 .
Comparison of preoperative carprofen and postoperative butorphanol as postsurgical analgesics in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.
OBJECTIVE To compare carprofen to butorphanol , with regard to postsurgical analgesic effects , duration of analgesia , and adverse side effects . STUDY DESIGN Blinded , r and omized clinical study . ANIMALS Seventy-one cats , 0.5 - 5 years of age , weighing 3.24 + /- 0.61 kg , undergoing ovariohysterectomy ( OHE ) . METHODS Cats were premedicated with subcutaneous atropine ( 0.04 mg kg(-1 ) ) , acepromazine ( 0.02 mg kg(-1 ) ) , and ketamine ( 5 mg kg(-1 ) ) . Anesthesia was induced with ketamine ( 5 mg kg(-1 ) ) and diazepam ( 0.25 mg kg(-1 ) ) given intravenously , and maintained with isoflurane . There were three treatment groups : group C ( 4 mg kg(-1 ) carprofen SC at induction ) , group B ( 0.4 mg kg(-1 ) butorphanol SC at end of surgery ) , and group S ( 0.08 mL kg(-1 ) of sterile saline SC at induction and end of surgery ) . Behavioral data were collected using a composite pain scale ( CPS ) , prior to surgery ( baseline ) and 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 8 , 12 , 16 , 20 , and 24 hours post-surgery . Interaction scores were analyzed separately . Cats with CPS scores > 12 received rescue analgesia ( meperidine , 4 mg kg(-1 ) , intramuscular ) . RESULTS Sixty cats completed the study . The CPS scores did not differ significantly between groups C and B at any time period . CPS scores for groups B and C were significantly increased for 12 hours post-surgery , and in group S for 20 hours . Both group C and B CPS scores were significantly lower than group S in this 20-hour postoperative period , except at 4 hours ( B and C ) and at 3 and 8 hours ( B alone ) . Interaction scores for group C returned to preoperative baseline 4 hours after surgery , while both groups B and S remained increased for at least 24 hours post-surgery . Nine cats required meperidine . CONCLUSION In this study , carprofen provided better postsurgical analgesia than butorphanol . Clinical relevance Neither drug completely abolished pain , however preoperative carprofen provided better pain control compared with postoperative butorphanol in the 24-hour period following OHE surgery in cats
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 .