Читать книгу Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff - Группа авторов - Страница 106

Recognizing the behavioral signs of pain in non‐verbal species is challenging. Because animals can’t tell us when they experience pain, it is critical to train shelter staff to recognize their non‐verbal signs if we are to ensure good welfare. A number of problem behaviors can occur in dogs and cats in response to pain. These can include irritability (increased sensitivity and reactivity to stimuli), aggressiveness, restlessness, excessive vocalization, changes in activity level, and an increase in anxiety‐related behaviors. In an animal that was previously behaviorally stable, any abrupt changes in behavior can signal pain, but they are especially noteworthy when occurring in a middle‐aged or geriatric animal.

Pain in the shelter animal may be even more difficult to identify since caretakers may not be familiar enough with an individual to determine what is normal or abnormal for that animal. To further complicate matters, physiologic responses to pain and stress can be similar, and because animals entering a shelter are likely to experience stress, this may make differentiating the two very difficult. In addition, it is normal for most animals to try to mask their pain, and they may be even more likely to do this when placed in a stressful situation.

The objective signs of medical problems that typically result in pain cannot always be identified with a physical exam, radiographs, laboratory work, and so forth. Therefore, it is generally accepted that behavioral rather than physiological signs are the most important parameters we should attend to when evaluating pain in animals (Epstein et al. 2015). We should also always keep in mind that if a procedure, injury, or illness causes pain in humans, then it would be wise to assume that it causes pain in dogs and cats as well.

Different animals will manifest pain differently, and there is no single behavior that can be considered pathognomonic for pain. Neither does the absence of certain behaviors always indicate the absence of pain. Many behaviors considered to be indicative of pain can also occur due to anxiety or fear in both dogs and cats. In addition, the presence of other diseases can change the appearance of pain behaviors. Several studies have found that subjective behavioral measures can be used successfully to identify pain in animals and subsequently evaluate the efficacy of treatment (Holton et al. 1998; Cloutier et al. 2005; Bennett and Morton 2009). However, more research is needed to refine and validate some of the current methods. Because some diagnostic capabilities may be limited in a shelter situation, anecdotal information suggests that when in doubt, a course of treatment with analgesics and/or anti‐inflammatories may be warranted if a painful condition is suspected. Failure to recognize pain is a significant welfare concern. Training shelter staff is a crucial task for shelter management to ensure that staff can reliably and consistently recognize even the most subtle signs of pain in animals. Table 4.2 provides a summary of behavioral signs of pain in dogs and cats.