Different Methods to Identify Pain after Routine Surgical Castration of Equine Stallions: Composite Pain Scale, Facial Expressions, Faecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites and Plasma Cytokines

Abstract

6Concurrent proximal suspensory desmopathy and injury of the proximal aspect of the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon in forelimbs and hindlimbs E. PLOWRIGHT AND S. DYSON 7 Sport horses with inflammatory airway disease (IAD) with predominantly eosinophils or mast cells are more predisposed to poor performance, exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) and have shorter careers when compared to horses with neutrophilic IAD Use of standing MRI and a new MRI grading system of the subchondral bone of the distal third metacarpal bone to identify bone changes in the Thoroughbred racehorse when comparing 21 cases of catastrophic biaxial proximal sesamoid bone fracture with 53 controlsThis supplement contains a diverse selection of abstracts addressing clinical research from many disciplines. Topics that are particularly well represented this year include endocrinology, laminitis, critical care and spinal disease. The only consistent feature is the very high standard. This year, BEVA has devoted an extra two sessions to abstracts, but despite this increased time, the selection process was difficult due to the large number of excellent submissions. Over the last 10 years or so, Clinical Research Abstracts have progressively risen in stature and it is now the go-to place for cutting-edge, clinically relevant information delivered in a concise and highly professional manner. This is where Congress attendees will find the snippets of information to take straight back to practice to effect changes in the way of case management. By publishing this supplement in EVJ, BEVA hopes to make this new and relevant research available to those who have not been able to attend the Congress in person. Perhaps, this supplement will inspire some readers to make the trip next year.Reasons for performing study: Combinations of α2-adrenoceptor and opioid agonists are commonly used in equines, but there is little scientific information on this topic in donkeys.Objectives: To compare the sedative and hypoalgesic effects of 4 dosages of butorphanol in xylazine-premedicated donkeys. Study design: In vivo experiment.Methods: Six donkeys received intravenous treatments: saline and saline (S-S); xylazine (0.5 mg/kg bwt) and saline (X-S); xylazine and butorphanol 10 μg/kg bwt (X-B10); xylazine and butorphanol 20 μg/kg bwt (X-B20); xylazine and butorphanol 30 μg/kg bwt (X-B30); and xylazine and butorphanol 40 μg/kg bwt (X-B40). Sedation score (0-3), head height above ground (HHAG), and mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNT) of the left metacarpus were assessed before and for 120 min after treatment. Areas under the curve (AUC) for 0-30, 30-60 and 60-120 min post treatment were computed for sedation scores (SS-AUC), HHAG (HHAG-AUC) and MNT (MNT-AUC). Differences between treatments were analysed using the Friedman test followed by Dunn's test and repeated measures one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's test.Results: All treatments except S-S induced sedation. Butorphanol treatments induced significantly greater SS-AUC0-30 values than th...