Analgesia in pet rabbits: a survey study on how pain is assessed and ameliorated by veterinary surgeons

• Published in: Veterinary record Vol. 186; no. 18; p. 603
• Main Authors: Benato, Livia, Murrell, Joanna C, Blackwell, Emily Jayne, Saunders, Richard, Rooney, Nicola
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Limited 13.06.2020; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Age; analgesia; Analgesics; behavioural indicators; Demographics; Drugs; Laboratories; Medical referrals; Pain; pain scale; Questionnaires; Rabbits; Social networks; Statistical analysis; Surgery; Veterinary medicine; Veterinary services; Europe; pain; pain scale; rabbits; behavioural indicators; analgesia
• ISSN: 0042-4900; 2042-7670
• DOI: 10.1136/vr.105071

BackgroundIn the last 20 years, two studies on the veterinary use of perioperative analgesia in small mammals reported a limited use of analgesics in rabbits but suggested an increasing use over the years. The aim of this study was to better understand how pain is treated and ameliorated in rabbits while under veterinary care.MethodsAn online survey of 60 questions was developed and advertised at national and international veterinary conferences, in veterinary publications and on social media.ResultsIn total 94.3 per cent of the respondents routinely administered nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to rabbits undergoing surgical procedures such as neutering, 71.4 per cent administered an opioid and 70.3 per cent routinely administered multimodal analgesia, although dosages do not always match current consensus opinion. Buprenorphine and meloxicam were the most common analgesic drugs prescribed by the respondents. The dosage of meloxicam administered both parenterally and orally varied widely.ConclusionRabbit analgesia has improved over recent years similarly to the trend seen in other companion animals. However, overall it seems that pain assessment is still limited in rabbits. The lack of multimodal composite pain scales specific for rabbits makes this task even more challenging.