Pilot epidemiological study of attitudes towards pain in horses

Abstract

This preliminary study investigated the attitudes, and evaluated the current practice of a sample of the veterinary profession in the UK in relation to the management of pain in horses. In June 2001, a questionnaire was posted to 260 veterinarians in specialised equine practice, and 140 veterinarians in general practice with a significant equine caseload. There was a 25 per cent response rate to the questionnaire, which recorded information about the availability and prescription of analgesic drugs, the factors influencing the selection of analgesics and their administration, and estimates of the severity of pain associated with selected clinical conditions. There were considerable variations in the practices applied to manage pain in horses, implying that there are similar attitudinal barriers to the optimal management of pain in horses as have been identified in other domestic spedes.

Analgesic effects of butorphanol tartrate and phenylbutazone administered alone and in combination in young horses undergoing routine castration

“…49 Mean plasma cortisol concentrations at all sample collection times were compared with concentrations at midnight of day 4. Significant differences in plasma cortisol concentration, compared with concentrations at this designated control time point, were evident at -28, -4, 0, 4,8,12,16,20,26,44, and 50 hours. The significant differences detected at -28, -4, 20, and 44 hours were expected because those samples were collected at 6 am on days 1 through 4 and the high plasma cortisol concentrations are explained as diurnal increases.…”

“…Infusion of a 10-mL volume of 2% lidocaine into each testis was considered sufficient on the basis of the size the horses' testes and previous anecdotal experiences. 40 Results of a survey performed in the United Kingdom by Price et al 20 in 2002 indicate that veterinarians rely heavily on assessment of behavior (demeanor) and heart rate to evaluate pain in horses. In our study, there were no significant differences in heart rate, respiratory rate, or rectal temperature among the 3 treatment groups.…”

“…12,[15][16][17] In a survey 20 of equine veterinarians in the United Kingdom, 48 of 68 (71%) respondents considered the degree of pain after castration to be low; however, when the same question was asked of 408 veterinarians in Canada, routine castration of horses (without analgesia) was rated as 7.4 on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being most painful). 36 The assumption in our study was that all horses have some degree of pain after castration.…”

“…19 Survey respondents who were 40 years of age or older were almost 3 times as likely to provide no analgesia after castration as were respondents 30 years old or younger. 20 Direct measurement of a subjective experience such as pain is not possible in nonverbal species. Instead, assessment of pain in animals relies on measurement of pain-induced behavioral and physiologic variables as indirect indicators of the presence of pain.…”

Association Between Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Gastric Ulceration in Horses and Ponies

“…Price et al (2002) argue that veterinarians working with small animals may be more concerned about the adverse effects of NSAIDs than those working with horses. The former prefer using carprofen and meloxicam, which appear to cause fewer side effects.…”