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 .
Evaluation of a ketamine-propofol drug combination with or without dexmedetomidine for intravenous anesthesia in cats undergoing ovariectomy.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of a ketamine-propofol combination , with or without dexmedetomidine , in cats undergoing ovariectomy and to assess Heinz body formation following administration of these drugs . DESIGN R and omized clinical trial . ANIMALS 15 client-owned female cats . PROCEDURES Anesthesia was induced with a ketamine ( 2.0 mg/kg [ 0.91 mg/lb])-propofol ( 2.0 mg/kg ) combination with ( n = 7 ) or without ( 8) dexmedetomidine ( 0.003 mg/kg [ 0.0013 mg/lb ] ) and was maintained via continuous IV infusion of a 1:1 ketamine-propofol combination ( administration rate for each drug , 10.0 mg/kg/h [ 4.54 mg/lb/h ] ) . Cats underwent ovariectomy ;  duration of infusion was 25 minutes . Physiologic variables were measured at predetermined time points . Heinz bodies were quantified via examination of blood smears . Numeric scales were used to assess quality of recovery , degree of sedation , and signs of pain after surgery . RESULTS The ketamine-propofol group had a significantly higher mean heart rate at several time points during drug infusion , a significantly shorter time from the end of infusion to extubation ( 7 vs 29 minutes ) , and significantly lower sedation scores for the first hour after surgery than did the ketamine-propofol-dexmedetomidine group . Other variables were similar between groups ; recovery was smooth , and anesthesia and postoperative analgesia were deemed adequate for all cats . The number of RBCs with Heinz bodies was not increased after surgery , compared with values immediately after anesthetic induction . CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Total IV anesthesia with a ketamine-propofol combination , with or without dexmedetomidine , appeared to be effective in healthy cats . These short-term infusions produced smooth recovery and adequate analgesia during the postoperative period
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 .