{"id":1140,"date":"2014-01-01T16:45:32","date_gmt":"2014-01-01T16:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/phosdev.com\/todaysveterinarypractice\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2022-02-16T19:15:27","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T19:15:27","slug":"assessment-of-acute-pain-in-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarypractice.com\/diagnostics\/assessment-of-acute-pain-in-cats\/","title":{"rendered":"Assessment Of Acute Pain In Cats"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sheilah Robertson, BVMS (Hons), PhD, MRCVS, Diplomate ECVAA, ACVAA, ACAW, & ECAWBM (Welfare Science, Ethics and Law)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Michigan State University<\/em><\/p>\n

The first of a 2-part series, Dr. Robertson emphasizes the importance of accurate pain assessment in order to provide the best pain management. To appropriately assess and treat pain in cats, the health care provider must be attentive to subtle changes in animal behavior, including alertness, interaction with humans, and posture and facial expressions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pain is a multifactorial experience, with sensory (“ouch”) and affective (emotional) components.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/span> Untreated pain can delay recovery, decrease quality of life, and disturb the human\u2013animal bond.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/span> Pain also increases the body’s stress response to traumatic injury and causes alterations in metabolic and endocrine function. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is now well established that animals and humans have similar neuro-anatomical pathways for the transduction, transmission, and modulation of pain.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/span> A fundamental part of quality, compassionate veterinary care is prevention and management of pain and, therefore, it must be quickly recognized, assessed, and treated by the veterinary team.<\/span><\/p>\n

IDENTIFICATION OF PAIN IN CATS<\/span><\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, cats cannot verbally communicate to us that pain exists or where it is located\u2014the veterinary team must determine these answers. In this species, pain assessment relies on owners’ communication with clinic staff, clinical judgment, and measurement of various parameters that have been shown to correlate with pain. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pain scoring scales<\/span>2-4<\/sup><\/span> and pain management guidelines for cats<\/span>1<\/sup><\/span> have been developed for use in veterinary medicine. Standardized pain scoring scales and pain management guidelines promote a standard of care for hospitalized patients and facilitate optimal pain management, even though different personnel care for a patient during its stay. However, pain assessment is subjective, and changes in pain may be subtle and difficult to evaluate without an experienced eye. <\/span><\/p>\n

Signs of pain and response to drugs vary greatly between patients based on genetics, breed, and age.<\/span>3,5,6<\/sup><\/span> For this reason, pain should be assessed visually<\/strong> and physically<\/strong>, providing the animal cooperates during handling. <\/span><\/p>\n

Objective Measures of Pain<\/span><\/h3>\n

Physiological changes, such as changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and plasma cortisol, occur in response to sympathetic stimulation caused in part by pain.<\/span>7<\/sup><\/span> However, clinical experience should be used when assessing these objective measures of pain because fear, stress, anesthesia, and pharmacologic interventions also cause these parameters to change.<\/span>7<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

Pain Assessment Scales for Cats<\/span><\/h3>\n

Currently there is no gold standard for assessing acute pain in cats. Several research groups, including Brondani and colleagues, are in the process of developing and validating pain scales for clinical use.<\/span>8<\/sup><\/span> A survey of veterinary nurses reported that only 8.1% of veterinary practices used a pain scoring system, yet 80.3% agreed it was a useful clinical tool.<\/span>9<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

Some scales that have been used to assess pain in cats include:<\/span><\/p>\n