The establishment of current attitudes and practices indicates to practising veterinarians how their own use of analgesics compares with that of their colleagues. It also provides information to educators on potential areas of focus, given that 42% of respondents felt their knowledge in the area of assessment and treatment of pain was inadequate.

AIM:To explore attitudes towards and use of analgesia in horses by veterinarians in New Zealand. METHODS:A postal questionnaire was sent out to 457 veterinarians identifi ed as working with horses in New Zealand. Questions covered demographics and practice data; analgesic drugs available for use and used in practice; analgesic management of specifi c conditions including assessment of pain, drugs used, and frequency of cases; factors infl uencing the choice and use of analgesic agents; and attitudes and personal experience. RESULTS:Ninety-seven questionnaires containing useable data were received, a response rate of 23%. Respondents' demographics corresponded with those of the veterinary population at the time. Phenylbutazone, fl unixin, xylazine, ketamine, butorphanol, dexamethasone and lignocaine were the drugs most commonly used. Respondents allocated pain scores with a range of at least eight points (on a scale of 1 to 10) between lower and upper scores for 13/17 conditions and procedures presented. Respondents identifi ed analgesic potency and anti-infl ammatory effect as the most important factors in their choice of drug. Sixty-three percent and 59% of respondents considered their knowledge of recognition of pain and analgesia, respectively, to be adequate. CONCLUSIONS:The results of the survey indicate that analgesia was widely used for horses amongst responding veterinarians. However, there were a number of areas where there appeared to be a lack of consensus amongst respondents in their management of pain in horses, and these included assessment of pain, administration of analgesics, and, indeed, what constitutes analgesia.CLINICAL RELEVANCE: While analgesia of horses is widely practised in New Zealand, it would appear that a lack of consistency amongst veterinarians could indicate less than optimal pain relief in some cases and for some procedures.

The aim of this preliminary study was to identify key behavioural indicators of pain in cats. The behaviour of cats before and after ovariohysterectomy was analysed using a detailed behavioural ethogram. A comparison of behaviours between cats given pre-operative analgesia only and cats given both pre- and post-operative analgesia indicated that both groups demonstrated changed behaviour following surgery, compared to a control group of cats which underwent anaesthesia but not surgery. However, some specific postures, such as ‘half-tucked-up’ and ‘crouching’, were identified that occurred with greater frequency in the cats receiving pre-operative analgesia only, as compared to those receiving additional post-operative analgesia. This indicates that there are some key behaviours that may be useful in determining pain in cats. Routine administration of pre- but not post-operative analgesia may be ineffective for adequately alleviating pain in cats.

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Until only a few years ago, there was only one truly effective therapy for patients with metastatic melanoma. While long-term remission could be achieved in some patients, toxicities associated with high-dose IL-2 were significant. New insight related to molecular pathways of tumor cells indicated that an activating mutation of BRAF can be found in approximately 50-60% of all patients with melanoma. Proof-of-concept demonstrated in clinical trials of a drug targeting mutant BRAF led to the approval of vemurafenib by the US FDA in August 2011. Supplied in an oral dosage form, we provide an alternative method of administering vemurafenib in a patient unable to take anything by mouth.