Behavioural Aspects of Pain Flashcards
Pain
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage
What effects pain?
-how it feels and how it makes you feel
-personal experience and past experiences
» individuals that previously experienced pain will make the individuals have a greater pain response in the future
Best way to assess pain
behaviour
Limitations to detecting pain
-not all animals display pain related behaviour
-assessing pain behaviour difficult in stressed and sick animals
Detection of spontaneous pain behaviours
-pain associated with changes in normal behaviour
-owners assessment and knowledge of previous behaviour is very helpful
When is assessing pain difficult?
During periods where the animal is experiencing stress, anxiety, fear or sedation
Common observational indicators of pain
- attitude
- appearance
- body posture
- Orientation in cage/stall
- Activity level
- Locomotor activity
- facial expression
- vocalization
Attitude
Includes:
-changes in personality
-irritable/aggressive
-anxiety (vigilant, timid, fearful)
-depression
-reclusive
Attitude change in dogs experiencing pain
-decreased social interaction (depressed)
-anxious or glazed expression
-submissive behaviour
-aggression, biting
-refusal to move (stubborn, lazy, old)
Attitude change in cats experiencing pain
- aggressive
-indifferent (no interaction or shows loss of curiosity)
-stupor; learned helplessness
-fear (hiding, escape attempts)
Attitude change in horses experiencing pain
-not cooperative
-aggressive
-kicking
-striking
-biting
-escaping
-docile
-listless
Attitude change in bovine experiencing pain
-less focused on environment
-less interested in social interaction
-aggressive, charging, kicking
Altered appearance
-dull unkempt (ungroomed) appearance
-cats stop grooming resulting in dry, lusterless hair coat
Body position
- sitting/standing/sleeping in abnormal position
-reluctance to move
-tense, stiff, rigid - head down
- hunched back or tucked abdomen
-praying position (dogs)
-sphinx or statue (cats) - Stretched out stance (horses)
-reduced weight bearing
-tail down
Body position in cattle
-head below the line of spinal cord
-moves and arches back when standing
-hind limbs extended caudally when standing
-lying down in ventral recumbency with extension of hind limbs
-extends neck and body forward when lying in ventral
Orientation in cage/stall
- lack of interest in surroundings
-withdrawing/hiding
-facing back of cage
Activity level
-reluctance to move, lie down
-frequently changing body position
-anxious and restless
-aggression usually occurs in response to acute-onset, severe pain
-licking, chewing at site of pain
-kicking/foot stamping
-wagging the tail abruptyl and repeatedly
Horse pain from colic
-turning head, kicking and biting at flank
-stretching out as to urinate without urinating
-leaving food behind/disinterested in food and water
-repeatedly lying down, rolling, getting up
-pawing
- inappropriate sweating,
- rapid breathing,
-flared nostrils
- elevated pulse rate
Locomotor activity
-limping/lameness
-standing to one side/weight shifting away from painful limb
-unwillingness to rise
-slow, unstable transition from recumbency to standing
-reluctance to jump, walk stairs
-decreased stamina
-moving/walking while defecating or urinating
-urinary or fecal accidents
-night restlessness if cannot get comfortable
Facial Expression
-head down
-fixed gaze. depressed expression
-looking away
- orbital tightening
-ear position (backwards or flat to side)
- cheek flattening
-nares drawn vertically
whiskers extended horizontally or drawn toward cheeks
Horse facial expression in pain
-lowered ears
-contraction of muscle above eye
-tense stare
-nostril dilated in the medio-lateral direction
-edged shape of muzzle with lips pressed together and flattened chin
-tension of facial muscles
Facial expression of cattle in pain
- ears tense and backward (lamb ears)
-tension in muscles above the eyes seen as furrow lines
-strained and dilated nostrils
-tonus of lips increased
-tense facial muscles on the side of head
Facial expression of sheep in pain
-orbital tightening
-ears and head lowered
-Flehming response present
Facial expression of dogs in pain
-unknown!
**we breed for dogs with different facial expression, and they often display same expression no matter what they are feeling
Vocalization
-often listed as most common sign of pain
-acute or flare up of chronic pain
- includes whine, whimper, cry, groan, purr, howl, scream
**can also mean they are anxious, drug side effects, have a full bladder etc.
Acute vs chronic pain
Acute: spontaneous pain behaviours
Chronic: often missed in early stages, absence of normal behaviour=pain, change in daily activities
Cat behaviour with sore joints
-inactive
-slow going down stairs, or stops part way
-tries to do smaller jumps instead of large one
-hesitates and has to pull themselves up after a jump
-difficulty standing up
-decreased appetite
-overgrooming specific area
Limitations to pain detection
-need to know animals normal behaviour
-pain manifests in different ways
-no behaviour in isolation= pain; but some behaviours are strongly suggestive of pain
**absence or presence of certain behaviours does not necessarily equal pain
Factors influencing assessment of pain behaviours
- species- breed
- Environmental factors (hospital, predators, confinement)
- Concurrent diseases
- Anxiety- predisposes animal to worse pain BUT pain can make animals more anxious
- Drugs
- Evaluator
Rodents & pain signals
**species of prey so they display less signs of pain
-absence of normal behaviour
-loss of appetite/ poor BCS
-decreased normal exploratory behaviours
-decreased alertness and mobility
-change in posture and gait
-reduced grooming
- bruxism (grinding teeth)
- piloerection
-increased aggressiveness when handled
