Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How to measure pain in dogs after surgery?
By Murrell, J C et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2008·University of Utrecht, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Application of a modified form of the Glasgow pain scale in a veterinary teaching centre in the Netherlands.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 60 dogs recovering from surgery were assessed for pain using a modified pain scale to see how well it worked in a different veterinary setting. The scale successfully distinguished between different levels of pain, showing clear differences in scores for dogs rated as having no, mild, moderate, or severe pain. Additionally, the pain scores changed as expected over time, indicating that the scale accurately measured the dogs' pain levels as they healed. This means that the modified scale can be a useful tool for vets to evaluate and manage pain in dogs after surgery.
People also search for: dog surgery pain management · how to tell if my dog is in pain · post-surgery care for dogs
Abstract
The Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale was developed to measure acute pain in dogs in a hospital setting. In this investigation a modified version of the scale was applied in a centre with a different surgical case load and analgesic protocols, and where English is not the first language, to test its validity in a different clinical environment. The modified scale was used to score pain in 60 dogs during the 24 hours after surgery. Their levels of sedation and a clinical impression of their pain were scored at the same time. Three questions were considered; first, how the modified pain score was related to the pain assessed subjectively, secondly, how it related to variables such as the surgical procedure and the dog's health and thirdly, how it changed over time. The mean modified pain scores for the dogs rated subjectively as having no, mild, moderate or severe pain were significantly different, indicating that the modified scale distinguished between pain of different severities. The changes in the dogs' scores also followed the expected changes in their level of pain with time, providing empirical evidence that the scale measures pain.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18375984/