Page 19 - BSAVA Guide to Pain Management in Small Animal Practice

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Acute and

perioperative pain

Jo Murrell and Briony Alderson

ver the last years in veterinary medicine increased scienti c knowledge about pain
there has been increasing recognition that following surgery in cats and dogs Berry,
surgery causes pain and, therefore, animals 16 , changes to veterinary undergraduate
undergoing surgery re uire analgesia. his is and postgraduate teaching, and the greater
evidenced by U surveys investigating number of licensed analgesic drugs that are
attitudes to perioperative analgesia in cats and now available for administration to cats and
dogs. A survey carried out in 1996 1997 by dogs in the perioperative period compared with
Capner and colleagues reported a relatively previous years. he 1 survey also
low level of analgesic administration to cats highlighted areas for improvement in
and dogs undergoing routine neutering, with perioperative analgesic management a low
only 6 of cats receiving analgesics for number of respondents used pain scoring tools
neutering procedures Capner et al., 1999; in dogs and cats, and local anaesthesia
Lascelles et al., 1999 ; however, when the U techni ues were only used by a minority of
survey was repeated in 1 , almost ubi uitous respondents. Recognition and uanti cation of
use of analgesia for neutering was reported, pain is the cornerstone of e ective pain
with 98 of respondents administering a management in animals; therefore, use of pain
non steroidal anti in ammatory drug NSAI scoring tools is pivotal. Local anaesthetic
to dogs and cats undergoing neutering unt et techni ues can reduce the re uirement for
al., 1 a . Although surveys can be critici ed systemic analgesic drugs, thereby minimi ing
for being biased, in that veterinary surgeons side e ects associated with drug
that are more likely to administer analgesia may administration; therefore, their use is to be
be more likely to respond to a survey about encouraged in acute analgesia regimens for
perioperative analgesic use, it is reasonable to cats and dogs.
assume that the 1 survey re ects a trend he aims of this chapter are to describe the
towards increased perioperative analgesic use general approach to the administration of
in cats and dogs in the U , which is bene cial analgesic agents to surgical patients, and to
for patient welfare. he underlying reasons for discuss clinically appropriate analgesia
this trend are unknown, but it probably re ects protocols for routine surgical procedures.

14 BSAVA Guide to Pain Management in Small Animal Practice. Edited by Ian Self. ©BSAVA 2019

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