Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T09:23:44.899Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Potential behavioural indicators of post-operative pain in male laboratory rabbits following abdominal surgery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

MJ Farnworth ,
JK Walker ,
KA Schweizer ,
C-L Chuang ,
S-J Guild ,
CJ Barrett ,
MC Leach  and
NK Waran
MJ Farnworth*
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Group, Department of Natural Sciences, Unitec Institute of Technology, Private Bag 92025, Auckland, New Zealand
JK Walker
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Group, Department of Natural Sciences, Unitec Institute of Technology, Private Bag 92025, Auckland, New Zealand
KA Schweizer
Affiliation:
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Easter Bush, Roslin EH25 9RG, UK
C-L Chuang
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology, Private Bag 92019, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
S-J Guild
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology, Private Bag 92019, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
CJ Barrett
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology, Private Bag 92019, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
MC Leach
Affiliation:
Comparative Biology Centre, Medical School, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
NK Waran
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Group, Department of Natural Sciences, Unitec Institute of Technology, Private Bag 92025, Auckland, New Zealand
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

This study aimed to identify behaviours that could be used to assess post-operative pain and analgesic efficacy in male rabbits. In consideration of the ‘Three Rs’, behavioural data were collected on seven male New Zealand White rabbits in an ethically approved experiment requiring abdominal implantation of a telemetric device for purposes other than behavioural assessment. Prior to surgery, rabbits were anaesthetised using an isoflurane/oxygen mix and given Carprofen (2 mg kg−1) as a peri-operative analgesic. Rabbits were housed individually in standard laboratory cages throughout. Data were collected at three time periods: 24-21 h prior to surgery (T1) and, post-surgery, 0-3 h (T2) and 3-6 h (T3). Behavioural changes were identified using Observer XT, significance of which was assessed using a Friedman's test for several related samples. The frequency or duration of numerous pre-operative behaviours was significantly reduced in T2 and T3, as compared to T1. Conversely, novel or rare behaviours had either first occurrence or significant increase in T2 into T3 as compared to T1, these include ‘full-body-flexing’, ‘tight-huddling’, ‘hind-leg-shuffling’. We conclude that reduced expression of common pre-operative behaviours and the appearance of certain novel post-operative behaviours may be indicative of pain in rabbits. Behaviours identified as increased in T2 as compared to T1 but not consistently elevated into T3 were considered separately due to the potentially confounding effect of anaesthesia recovery. These included lateral lying, ‘drawing-back’, ‘staggering’ and ‘closed eyes’. We postulate that for effective application of best-practice post-operative care, informed behavioural observation can provide routes by which carers may identify requirements for additional post-operative analgesia. Additionally, improvement of the peri-operative pain management regimen may be required to ameliorate the immediate effects of abdominal surgery. Comparisons with other studies into post-operative pain expression in rabbits suggest behavioural indicators of pain may differ, depending on housing and surgical procedure.

Keywords

analgesiaanimal welfarebehaviourpainperi-operativerabbit
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , May 2011 , pp. 225 - 237
Copyright
© 2011 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Aloisi, AM, Albonetti, ME and Carli, G 1995 Behavioural effects of different intensities of formalin pain in rats. Physiology & Behavior 58: 603–610CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Azrin, NH, Hutchinson, RR and Sallery, RD 1964 Pain-aggression toward inanimate objects. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour 7(3): 223–228CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barrett, CJ, Ramchandra, R, Guild, S-J, Lala, A, Budgett, DM and Malpas, SC 2003 What sets the long-term level of renal sympathetic nerve activity: a role for angiotensin II and baroreflexes? Circulation Research 92: 1330–1336CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brondani, JT, Luna, SPL, Beier, SL, Minto, BW and Padovani, CR 2008 Analgesic efficacy of perioperative use of vedaprofen, tramadol or their combination in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 11: 503–509CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capner, CA, Lascelles, BD and Waterman-Pearson, AE 1999 Current British veterinary attitudes to perioperative analgesia for dogs. Veterinary Record 145: 95–99CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooke, SJ and Sneddon, LU 2007 Animal welfare perspectives on recreational angling. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 104: 176–198CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coulter, CA, Flecknell, PA and Richardson, CA 2009 Reported analgesic administration to rabbits, pigs, sheep, dogs and non-human primates undergoing experimental surgical procedures. Laboratory Animals 43: 232–238CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dobromylskyj, P, Flecknell, PA, Lascelles, BD, Livingston, A, Taylor, P and Waterman-Pearson, A 2000a Pain assessment. In: Flecknell, PA and Waterman-Pearson, A (eds) Pain Management in Animals pp 53–79. WB Saunders: USACrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dobromylskyj, P, Flecknell, PA, Lascelles, BD, Pascoe, PJ, Taylor, P and Waterman-Pearson, A 2000b Management of post-operative and other acute pain. In: Flecknell, PA and Waterman-Pearson, A (eds) Pain Management in Animals pp 81–145. WB Saunders: USACrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dohoo, SE and Dohoo, IR 1996 Postoperative use of analgesics in dogs and cats by Canadian veterinarians. Canadian Veterinary Journal 37: 546–551Google ScholarPubMed
Fillingim, RB and Gear, RW 2004 Sex differences in opioid analgesia: clinical and experimental findings. European Journal of Pain 8: 413–425CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grant, C 2004 Behavioural responses of lambs to common painful husbandry procedures. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 87: 255–273CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grape, S and Tramèr, MR 2007 Do we need preemptive analgesia for the treatment of postoperative pain? Best Practice & Research Clinical Anaesthesiology 21: 51–63CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gustafson, LA, Cheng, HW, Garner, JP, Pajor, EA and Mench, JA 2006 Effects of bill-trimming Muscovy ducks on behaviour, body weight gain, and bill morpopathology. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 103: 59–74CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harcourt-Brown, FM 2007 The progressive syndrome of acquired dental disease in rabbits. Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine 16: 146–157CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heitman, H Jr, Hahn, L, Bond, TE and Kelly, CF 1962 Continuous versus periodic observations in behaviour studies with swine raised in confinement. Animal Behaviour 10: 165–167CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holton, L, Reid, J, Scott, EM, Pawson, P and Nolan, A 2001 Development of a behaviour-based scale to measure acute pain in dogs. The Veterinary Record 148: 525–531CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hummel, M, Lu, P, Cummons, TA and Whiteside, GT 2008 The persistence of a long-term negative affective state following the induction of either acute or chronic pain. Pain 140: 436–445CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
IASP 1994 Task force on taxonomy. In: Merskey, H and Bogduk, N (eds) Classification of Chronic Pain, 2nd Edition pp 209–214. International Association for the Study of Pain: Seattle, USAGoogle Scholar
Johnston, MS 2005 Clinical approaches to analgesia in ferrets and rabbits. Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine 14: 229–235CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joubert, KE 2001 The use of analgesic drugs by South African veterinarians. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association 72: 57–60CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, H, Neubert, JK, Miguel, A, Xu, K, Krishnaraju, RK, Iadarola, MJ, Goldman, D and Dionne, RA 2004 Genetic influence on variability in human acute experimental pain sensitivity associated with gender, ethnicity and psychological temperament. Pain 109: 488–496CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lascelles, BD and Waterman, A 1997 Analgesia in cats. In Practice 19: 203–213CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lascelles, BD, Capner, C and Waterman-Pearson, A 1999 Current British veterinary attitudes to perioperative analgesia for cats and small mammals. Veterinary Record 145: 601–604CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leach, MC, Allweiler, S, Richardson, C, Roughan, JV, Narbe, R and Flecknell, PA 2009 Behavioural effects of ovariohysterectomy and oral administration of meloxicam in laboratory housed rabbits. Research in Veterinary Science 87: 336–347CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McMeekan, CM, Stafford, KJ, Mellor, DJ, Bruce, RA, Ward, RN and Gregory, NG 1998 Effects of regional analgesia and/or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic on the acute cortisol response to dehorning in calves. Research in Veterinary Science 64: 147–150CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meiches, S, Mellema, SC, Doherr, MG, Wechsler, B and Steiner, A 2007 Castration of lambs: a welfare comparison of different castration techniques in lambs over 10 weeks of age. The Veterinary Journal 173: 554–563CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merskey, H 1993 Classification of chronic pain. Pain 3: 1Google Scholar
Mitchell, MA 2005 Carprofen. Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine 14: 61–64CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molony, V 1997 Comments on Anand and Craig (Letters to the Editor). Pain 70: 293CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molony, V, Kent, JE and Robertson, IS 1995 Assessment of acute and chronic pain after different methods of castration of calves. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 26: 33–48CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moya, SL, Boyle, LA, Lynch, PB and Arkins, S 2008 Effect of surgical castration on the behavioural and acute phase responses of 5-day-old piglets. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 111: 133–145CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Münte, S, Münte, TF, Kuche, H-C, Osthaus, A, Herzog, T, Heine, J, Leuwer, M and Piepenbrock, S 2001 General anesthesia for interventional neuroradiology: propofol versus isoflurane. Journal of Clinical Anesthesia 13: 186–192CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Noonan, GJ, Rand, JS, Blackshaw, JK and Priest, J 1996 Behavioural observations of puppies undergoing tail docking. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 49: 335–342CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pereira Do Carmo, G, Folk, JE, Rice, KC, Chartoff, EH, Carlezon, WA Jr and Negus, SS 2009 Effects of the selective delta opioid agonist SNC80 on intracranial selfstimulation in rats: comparison to other pharmacological and nonpharmacological manipulations. European Journal of Pharmacology 604: 58–65CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pritchett, LC, Ulibarri, C, Roberts, MC, Schneider, RK and Sellon, DC 2003 Identification of potential physiological and behavioural indicators of postoperative pain in horses after exploratory celiotomy for colic. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 80: 31–43CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Redrobe, S 2002 Soft tissue surgery of rabbits and rodents. Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine 11: 231–245CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richardson, CA and Flecknell, PA 2005 Anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia following experimental surgery in laboratory rodents: are we making progress? Alternatives to Laboratory Animals 33: 119–127CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roughan, JV and Flecknell, PA 2003 Evaluation of a short duration behaviour-based post-operative pain scoring system in rats. European Journal of Pain 7: 397–406CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roughan, JV and Flecknell, PA 2004 Behaviour-based assessment of the duration of laparotomy-induced abdominal pain and the analgesic effects of carprofen and buprenorphine in rats. Behavioural Pharmacology 15: 461–471CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutherford, KMD 2002 Assessing pain in animals. Animal Welfare 11: 31–53Google Scholar
Sneddon, LU 2003 The evidence for pain in fish: the use of morphine as an analgesic. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 83: 153–162CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stokes, EL, Flecknell, PA and Richardson, CA 2009 Reported analgesic and anaesthetic administration to rodents undergoing experimental surgical procedures. Laboratory Animals 43: 149–154CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sweet, PA, Magee, DA and Magee, AJC 1982 Duration of intradermal anaesthesia with mixtures of bupivacaine and lidocaine. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal Canadien d’Anesthésie 29: 481–483Google ScholarPubMed
United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 2007 Animal Care Annual Report of Activities, Fiscal Year 2007 pp 37–38. APHIS 41-35-075: USAGoogle Scholar
Viňuela-Fernández, I, Jones, E, Welsh, EM and Fleetwood-Walker, SM 2007 Pain mechanisms and their implication for the management of pain in farm and companion animals. The Veterinary Journal 174: 227–239CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walker, KA, Markus Horning, M, Mellish, J-AE and Weary, DM 2009 Behavioural responses of juvenile Steller sea lions to abdominal surgery: developing an assessment of post-operative pain. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 120: 201–207CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waran, N, Best, L, Williams, V, Salinsky, J, Dale, A and Clarke, N 2007 A preliminary study of behaviour-based indicators of pain in cats. Animal Welfare 16: 105–108Google Scholar
Weary, DM, Niel, L, Flower, FC and Fraser, D 2006 Identifying and preventing pain in animals. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 100: 64–76CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webster, JR and Matthews, LR 2006 Behaviour of red deer following antler removal with two methods of analgesia. Livestock Science 100: 150–158CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, VM, Lascelles, BDX and Robson, MC 2005 Current attitudes to, and use of, peri-operative analgesia in dogs and cats by veterinarians in New Zealand. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 53: 193–202CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed