Page 132 - BSAVA Guide to Pain Management in Small Animal Practice

7 | Abdominal pain

VetBooks.ir signs, depending on the underlying disease.
igure 7.4 depicts a list of clinical signs that can
here are many di erent causes of abdominal
be associated with abdominal pain. The
importance of nurses and technicians in pain in dogs and cats. With any single condition,
assessing and monitoring pain behaviours in the intensity of pain can vary in individuals
animals and their response to analgesia should depending on many factors such as tolerance,
not be underestimated. The author takes the concurrent conditions and medications. There
view that each individual animal with abdominal are no set analgesia protocols available for
disease might have pain, whether or not it can speci c abdominal conditions to manage pain
be fully appreciated, and subsequently provides due to these variations.
analgesia in most cases. igure 7. lists di erent
treatment options available for abdominal pain. References and further
reading
Type of clinical
signs Catan aro A, i Salvo A, Steagall PV et al. 16 Preliminary
study on attitudes, opinions and knowledge of Italian
Changes in Hunched, reluctant to move, veterinarians with regards to abdominal visceral pain in dogs.
posture, gait or prayer position/lordosis Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia 43, 61 7
movement Coleman L and Slingsby LS 7 Attitudes of veterinary
nurses to the assessment of pain and the use of pain scales.
Physiological Pallor, tachypnoea, tachy cardia, Veterinary Record 160, 41 44
changes changes in blood pressure, unt R, nowles , Lascelles B and urrell C 1
increase in body temperature, Prescription of perioperative analgesics by UK small animal
sweating, trembling, nausea, veterinary surgeons in 1 . Veterinary Record 176, 49
vomiting, decrease in appetite, Lamont LA 8 ultimodal pain management in veterinary
diarrhoea or constipation medicine: the physiologic basis of pharmacologic therapies.
Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice 38,
Abdominal Reaction to palpation of the 117 1186
tenderness abdomen ans eld C and Beths 1 anagement of acute
pancreatitis in dogs: a critical appraisal with focus on feeding
Changes in Lethargy, restlessness, and analgesia. Journal of Small Animal Practice 56, 7 9
behaviour aggression, vocalization Shilo and Pascoe P 14 Anatomy, physiology, and
pathophysiology of pain. In: Pain Management in Veterinary
Clinical signs that can manifest as a result of Practice, ed. C Egger, L Love and oherty, pp. 9 8. iley
abdominal pain. Blackwell, West Sussex

Analgesia
• Epidural catheter with local anaesthesia or opioid
• Coeliac plexus ganglion block
• Opioid (morphine, fentanyl) continuous rate infusion ± lidocaine (use cautiously in cats) ± ketamine
• Regular opioid in ections methadone, buprenorphine
• Alpha agonist continuous rate infusion
• Paracetamol 1 mg kg intravenous or oral dogs only
• Non steroidal anti in ammatory drugs in appropriate situations only
• Steroids (in appropriate situations only)

• Identify and treat underlying disease
• Antiemetics
• Antacids, prokinetics, antispasmodics
• Nutrition
• Nursing care
List of options available for treating abdominal pain in dogs and cats.

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