Behavioural Aspects of Pain

Question 1

Pain

Answer 1

An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage

Question 2

What effects pain?

Answer 2

-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

Question 3

Best way to assess pain

Answer 3

behaviour

Question 4

Limitations to detecting pain

Answer 4

-not all animals display pain related behaviour
-assessing pain behaviour difficult in stressed and sick animals

Question 5

Detection of spontaneous pain behaviours

Answer 5

-pain associated with changes in normal behaviour
-owners assessment and knowledge of previous behaviour is very helpful

Question 6

When is assessing pain difficult?

Answer 6

During periods where the animal is experiencing stress, anxiety, fear or sedation

Question 7

Common observational indicators of pain

Answer 7

1. attitude
2. appearance
3. body posture
4. Orientation in cage/stall
5. Activity level
6. Locomotor activity
7. facial expression
8. vocalization

Question 8

Attitude

Answer 8

Includes:
-changes in personality
-irritable/aggressive
-anxiety (vigilant, timid, fearful)
-depression
-reclusive

Question 9

Attitude change in dogs experiencing pain

Answer 9

-decreased social interaction (depressed)
-anxious or glazed expression
-submissive behaviour
-aggression, biting
-refusal to move (stubborn, lazy, old)

Question 10

Attitude change in cats experiencing pain

Answer 10

• aggressive
  -indifferent (no interaction or shows loss of curiosity)
  -stupor; learned helplessness
  -fear (hiding, escape attempts)

Question 11

Attitude change in horses experiencing pain

Answer 11

-not cooperative
-aggressive
-kicking
-striking
-biting
-escaping
-docile
-listless

Question 12

Attitude change in bovine experiencing pain

Answer 12

-less focused on environment
-less interested in social interaction
-aggressive, charging, kicking

Question 13

Altered appearance

Answer 13

-dull unkempt (ungroomed) appearance

-cats stop grooming resulting in dry, lusterless hair coat

Question 14

Body position

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

Body position in cattle

Answer 15

-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

Question 16

Orientation in cage/stall

Answer 16

• lack of interest in surroundings
  -withdrawing/hiding
  -facing back of cage

Question 17

Activity level

Answer 17

-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

Question 18

Horse pain from colic

Answer 18

-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

Question 19

Locomotor activity

Answer 19

-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

Question 20

Facial Expression

Answer 20

-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

Question 21

Horse facial expression in pain

Answer 21

-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

Question 22

Facial expression of cattle in pain

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

Facial expression of sheep in pain

Answer 23

-orbital tightening
-ears and head lowered
-Flehming response present

Question 24

Facial expression of dogs in pain

Answer 24

-unknown!

**we breed for dogs with different facial expression, and they often display same expression no matter what they are feeling

Question 25

Vocalization

Answer 25

-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.

Question 26

Acute vs chronic pain

Answer 26

Acute: spontaneous pain behaviours

Chronic: often missed in early stages, absence of normal behaviour=pain, change in daily activities

Question 27

Cat behaviour with sore joints

Answer 27

-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

Question 28

Limitations to pain detection

Answer 28

-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

Question 29

Factors influencing assessment of pain behaviours

Answer 29

1. species- breed
2. Environmental factors (hospital, predators, confinement)
3. Concurrent diseases
4. Anxiety- predisposes animal to worse pain BUT pain can make animals more anxious
5. Drugs
6. Evaluator

Question 30

Rodents & pain signals

Answer 30

**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