Assessing Pain and Distress
Recognizing clinical signs of pain and distress in laboratory animals may be difficult for research personnel who are not adequately trained. Assessing pain and distress in animals is also difficult because pain tolerance varies between species and between individuals of the same species.
Although clinical signs of pain and distress may vary according to species, general indications can include changes in behavior, physiology or biochemical levels.
Some behavioral changes that might indicate pain and distress in an animal include vocalization, crouching, reduced movement, restlessness or recumbency, and excessive grooming or lack of grooming.
Physiological signs might include changes in respiration, dilation of the pupils, body temperature or heart rate.
Biochemical changes may indicate pain and distress, for example, elevated levels of corticosteroids and catecholamines.
Pain assessment systems (score sheets) are available that involve assigning a numeric score to observations indicating pain.
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