Understanding pain related behavioural changes

Question 1

What is pain?

Answer 1

Physiological response to a noxious stimuli

Question 2

What are the 4 components of pain?

Answer 2

Sensory
Motor
Cognitive
Emotional

Question 3

What is the most common short-term behavioural response to acute pain, for example in a veterinary exam?

Answer 3

Resentment of palpation

Confrontational behaviour

Question 4

What is the potential long-term behavioural consequence associated with acute pain?

Answer 4

• Associative learning may lead to the maintenance of behavioural symptoms once the acute pain episode is over
• Classical conditioning means that any interaction or event which coincides with the experience of pain can become associated with that pain

Question 5

How can you minimise the risk of post-surgical chronic pain?

Answer 5

• Adequate pre- peri- and post-operative analgesia
• Appropriate pre-medication and handling to improve positive (engaging) emotional bias during induction
• Appropriate handling and management of emotional state during recovery and subsequent hospitalisation

Question 6

What can you use to monitor acute pain?

Answer 6

Glasgow composite pain scales for dogs and cats

Colorado state university feline acute pain scale

Question 7

Why can it be difficult to assess pain in animals during post-op recovery and hospitalisation?

Answer 7

Some individuals, especially cats, may go into an inhibitive state

Dogs are often appeasing => don’t misjudge as pain-free

Question 8

Is there an evolutionary bias for chronic pain?

Answer 8

No - chronic pain is maladaptive - a disease state

No evolutionary benefit

Question 9

Give examples of factors that influence the presence of chronic pain in a population

Answer 9

• Surgical procedures leading to tissue damage
• Lack of disease treatment at an early stage
• Inappropriate breeding
• Inappropriate housing/environment

Question 10

Explain why behavioural medicine is relevant to pain cases?

Answer 10

• Pain is both a physical sensation and an emotion
• Pain is perceived in the brain
• Emotional disturbance influences perception of pain
• Emotional disorders reduce available emotional capacity

Question 11

What behavioural changes can occur due to the physical effects of pain?

Answer 11

• Gait changes
• Response to manipulation
• Reluctant to walk on certain surfaces
• Inability to access litter trays
• Compromised posture
• Excessive grooming

Question 12

Name the 4 positive/engaging emotional motivations

Answer 12

• Desire-seeking
• Social play
• Lust
• Care

Question 13

Name the 4 negative/protective emotional motivations

Answer 13

• Fear-anxiety
• Frustration
• Pain
• Panic-grief

Question 14

The “pain system” is related to the maintenance of …?

Answer 14

Body integrity and function

Question 15

Define inhibition

Answer 15

The passive gathering of information

Question 16

Define appeasement

Answer 16

Active offering and gathering of information

Question 17

When protective emotion is involved the behavioural responses are designed to …?

Answer 17

• Take the animal away from the stimulus
• Make the stimulus move away from the animal
• Limit the potential damage that can be caused by the stimulus

Question 18

What are drainage and displacement behaviours associated with?

Answer 18

High emotional arousal

Question 19

How might a caregiver describe an animal showing appeasement behaviours?

Answer 19

More clingy, interactive, seeks them out more, follows them

Question 20

What can result from a caregiver ignoring appeasement behaviours?

Answer 20

Increased anxiety and frustration

Question 21

The outward manifestation of behavioural change is dependant on which factors?

Answer 21

• Valence of the emotion (engaging or protective)
• Salience of the stimulus
• Emotional state of the individual

Question 22

What could cause an increased level of residue in an emotional sink?

Answer 22

• emotional health issue (including pain)

- the emotional effects of a physical health issue

Question 23

In the sink model, what are drainage behaviours represented by?

Answer 23

the flow of water through the plug hole and outflow pipe of the sink

Question 24

What do drainage behaviours ensure?

Answer 24

that the residue in the sink is kept at manageable levels

Question 25

A high level of emotional arousal is associated with behaviours which are termed … ?

Answer 25

Displacement behaviours

Question 26

In the sink model, what are displacement behaviours equivalent to?

Answer 26

the flow of water through the overflow hole in the top of the sink

Question 27

Give some examples of displacement behaviours

Answer 27

• Shaking as though wet
• Yawning
• Stretching
• Lip licking

Question 28

Why is observation of displacement behaviours important?

Answer 28

They indicate that the emotional sink is reaching capacity and might overflow