References
Acute and chronic pain in dogs and cats
Abstract
Pain is a common condition of dogs and cats that is managed by veterinary surgeons with variable degrees of success. The complex pathophysiology of different types of pain is a significant reason why they can be challenging to manage. It is important to consider the goals and outcomes of any intervention(s) for both acute and chronic pain, but the cornerstone of the management of both is regular objective assessment with a validated scoring system. The feasibility of any interventions should also be considered with both the owner and animal in mind. Consideration of relevant legislation must be made when prescribing pharmacological therapies. Effectively managing acute pain may reduce the incidence of chronic pain in dogs and cats.
Some pain in animals can be straightforward to recognise and classic behaviours are displayed, such as aversion to touch and vocalisation (Reid et al, 2007). Other types of pain are significantly more challenging to recognise and may only produce behavioural signs such as lethargy or restlessness. Owing to a lack of verbal communication with animals, successful management of their pain depends on our ability to recognise it. This article provides an overview of the pathophysiology of the different types of pain, with a focus on the development and management of chronic pain.
Pain is an emotive and sensory experience secondary to nociceptive or potentially nociceptive stimuli. It can be categorised as acute pain, lasting less than 12 weeks, or chronic pain which exceeds 12 weeks duration, as defined by The British Pain Society (2023) and the International Association for the Study of Pain Classification of Chronic Pain for the International Classification of Diseases 11 Coding (Treede et al, 2019). The transition from acute to chronic pain involves many complex changes (Voscopoulos and Lema, 2010) and there is little evidence in animals that strict timescales are observed. Furthermore, since animals are unable to ‘self-report’ it becomes more difficult to detect a point of transition to chronic pain, especially where pain is ‘waxing and waning’ in nature. Therefore, a more helpful definition may be that chronic pain persists beyond the expected time of healing, and may or may not be associated with an identifiable cause or actual tissue damage (Reid et al, 2015). This ‘persisting pain’ features in osteoarthritis and neoplasia, where there are ongoing features of both acute and chronic pain (Gwilym et al, 2008; Reddi, 2015).
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