Livia Benato1, Nicola J Rooney2, Jo C Murrell3. 1. Animal Welfare and Behaviour, School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, UK. Electronic address: Livia.benato@bristol.ac.uk. 2. Animal Welfare and Behaviour, School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, UK. 3. School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, UK.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of pain and analgesia in rabbits with the aim of developing a more accurate understanding of these topics. To illustrate and discuss the areas that have advanced in recent years and those that still require further research. DATABASES USED: Three key subject resources were used: Web of Science, Medline and CAB Abstracts. Search terms were rabbits, lagomorphs, laboratory animals, pet, pain, surgical procedures, ovariohysterectomy, orchiectomy, castration, analgesia, opioids, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. References from books and articles relevant to the topics were also included. CONCLUSIONS: Rabbit medicine has improved over the last 20 years, but the literature suggests that pain management in this species is still inadequate and veterinary professionals believe their knowledge of pain and analgesia in this species is limited. Assessment and quantification of pain in rabbits can be challenging in a clinical environment not only because, as a prey species, rabbits tend to hide signs of pain but also because there are no validated methods to assess pain, except the Rabbit Grimace Scale, which is based on only one rabbit breed. Current consensus is that perioperative multimodal analgesia is the best practice. However, it is not widely used in rabbits. In rabbits, analgesia protocols and dosages reported in the literature are often poorly researched and do not result in complete pain amelioration with the return of normal. The present literature on rabbit pain and analgesia presents gaps either due to unexplored areas or insufficient findings. Further research should focus on these areas with the aim of improving the welfare of rabbits within a veterinary clinic.
OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of pain and analgesia in rabbits with the aim of developing a more accurate understanding of these topics. To illustrate and discuss the areas that have advanced in recent years and those that still require further research. DATABASES USED: Three key subject resources were used: Web of Science, Medline and CAB Abstracts. Search terms were rabbits, lagomorphs, laboratory animals, pet, pain, surgical procedures, ovariohysterectomy, orchiectomy, castration, analgesia, opioids, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. References from books and articles relevant to the topics were also included. CONCLUSIONS: Rabbit medicine has improved over the last 20 years, but the literature suggests that pain management in this species is still inadequate and veterinary professionals believe their knowledge of pain and analgesia in this species is limited. Assessment and quantification of pain in rabbits can be challenging in a clinical environment not only because, as a prey species, rabbits tend to hide signs of pain but also because there are no validated methods to assess pain, except the Rabbit Grimace Scale, which is based on only one rabbit breed. Current consensus is that perioperative multimodal analgesia is the best practice. However, it is not widely used in rabbits. In rabbits, analgesia protocols and dosages reported in the literature are often poorly researched and do not result in complete pain amelioration with the return of normal. The present literature on rabbit pain and analgesia presents gaps either due to unexplored areas or insufficient findings. Further research should focus on these areas with the aim of improving the welfare of rabbits within a veterinary clinic.
Authors: Renata Haddad Pinho; Stelio Pacca Loureiro Luna; Pedro Henrique Esteves Trindade; André Augusto Justo; Daniela Santilli Cima; Mariana Werneck Fonseca; Bruno Watanabe Minto; Fabiana Del Lama Rocha; Amy Miller; Paul Flecknell; Matthew C Leach Journal: PLoS One Date: 2022-05-26 Impact factor: 3.752
Authors: Amy L Miller; Jasmine M Clarkson; Caroline Quigley; Vikki Neville; Caroline Krall; Annika Geijer-Simpson; Paul A Flecknell; Matthew C Leach Journal: Front Vet Sci Date: 2022-02-28
Authors: Renata Haddad Pinho; Matthew C Leach; Bruno Watanabe Minto; Fabiana Del Lama Rocha; Stelio Pacca Loureiro Luna Journal: PLoS One Date: 2020-10-22 Impact factor: 3.240