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Rabbits typically undergo at least one painful procedure during their lifetime and appropriate methods of assessment are essential to reduce or alleviate pain. Various methods of assessing pain in rabbits have been investigated, with the validity of spontaneous behavior and grimace scale scoring being the most studied to date. Assessment of pain is challenging, compounded by rabbits being a prey species that display freezing behavior in the presence of unfamiliar caregivers. Here we discuss some key changes in rabbits that can be used in the assessment of pain and provide some practical suggestions to ensure that the assessment can be carried out effectively., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Murine orthotopic cancer models often require surgery, potentially causing pain or distress. However, analgesics are often withheld because they may alter tumour development. Two orthotopically implanted cancers were investigated in mice pre-treated with meloxicam (10 mg/kg), buprenorphine (0.2 mg/kg) or saline (1 ml/kg). Tumours were imaged and welfare was assessed using body weight, behaviour and nociceptive responses. In study 1, BALB/c mice were inoculated with 4T1 mammary carcinoma or saline during surgery or anaesthesia. As pre-treatment with a single buprenorphine dose appeared beneficial to cancer growth consistency, a second cohort of mice additionally received saline or buprenorphine at 12 and 24 h. Surgery resulted in increased mammary tumour growth and lung metastases. These unwanted effects were lessened by buprenorphine pre-treatment, especially when given repeatedly. Mammary tumour-bearing mice became less active and nociceptive thresholds declined over time, indicating some discomfort as tumours grew. In study 2, C57BL/6 mice received B16 melanoma. This non-surgical model was used to determine whether meloxicam or buprenorphine affected cancer seeding of the lungs. While meloxicam reduced B16 lung seeding, buprenorphine did not. Mechanical thresholds decreased as cancer developed in mice bearing melanoma, but the magnitude of this was insufficient to conclude that there were any significant welfare concerns. This study highlights the scientific value in utilising non-surgical models, where possible. When surgery must be performed at the time of tumour inoculation, the effects of this should be controlled with appropriate analgesics to enhance the value and possibly translation of the research.

Vasectomized mice are needed in the production of genetically-modified animals. The BVAAWF/FRAME/RSPCA/UFAW Joint Working Group on Refinement recommended that vasectomy should be performed via an incision in the scrotal sac, rather than via laparotomy, arguing that the former could be less painful due to minimal tissue trauma. This study was undertaken to assess the validity of this recommendation. Mice underwent vasectomy via either abdominal or scrotal approach surgery. Mice were filmed for 15 min presurgery and at one, 24 and 48 h postsurgery. Data were obtained using automated behaviour recognition software (HomeCageScan). Meloxicam was administered either alone or combined with acetaminophen prior to surgery. A third group received only saline subcutaneously. Postsurgery behaviour changes were compared between groups at each time point. Exploratory behaviours such as rearing, walking and sniffing were most greatly reduced at one hour following surgery whereas the duration of grooming increased. By 48 h these changes had largely subsided. Results indicated mice undergoing scrotal approach surgery fared better at one hour postsurgery, but the magnitude of this was relatively insignificant compared with the overall effects of surgery. If the observed behaviour changes resulted from pain, results suggested there was no significant advantage of scrotal versus abdominal approach vasectomy. These and other recently obtained data on the effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in mice suggest considerably larger doses of these or more potent analgesics, more precise monitoring of surgical outcomes, or a combination of these factors are needed to determine the extent of pain experienced by mice undergoing vasectomy.

Rodents of all species are frequently kept as companion animals, with increasing client expectations for the care of their animals. Fortunately, specialist veterinary interest and information is now available for treatment of rodents. In the field of rodent analgesia particularly, much can be learned from the methods developed for preventing and alleviating pain in animals undergoing research studies in laboratories throughout the world. This article reviews advances in pain detection techniques in rodents and makes recommendations on analgesic agents that are available for the alleviation of pain., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

• There are conceptual and methodological problems for animal pain assessment. • Facial expression scales are valid, reliable pain recognition and evaluation tools. • Consistent and careful development of facial expression scales is required. • Facial expression scales need feasibility testing to aid use in clinical practice. • Guidelines are provided for development and use of facial expression scales. Effective management of pain is critical to the improvement of animal welfare. For this to happen, pain must be recognised and assessed in a variety of contexts. Pain is a complex phenomenon, making reliable, valid, and feasible measurement challenging. The use of facial expressions as a technique to assess pain in non-verbal human patients has been widely utilised for many years. More recently this technique has been developed for use in a number of non-human species: rodents, rabbits, ferrets, cats, sheep, pigs and horses. Facial expression scoring has been demonstrated to provide an effective means of identifying animal pain and in assessing its severity, overcoming some of the limitations of other measures for pain assessment in animals. However, there remain limitations and challenges to the use of facial expression as a welfare assessment tool which must be investigated. This paper reviews current facial expression pain scales ("Grimace Scales"), discussing the general conceptual and methodological issues faced when assessing pain, and highlighting the advantages of using facial expression scales over other pain assessment methods. We provide guidance on how facial expression scales should be developed so as to be valid and reliable, but we also provide guidance on how they should be used in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Current methods of identifying and analysing behavioural signs of pain in mice are highly time consuming and labour intensive. HomeCageScan (HCS) is an automated analysis system that may offer an alternative to manual scoring. Thirty-two male mice undergoing vasectomy were filmed before and at 1h following surgery. Their behaviour was analysed by manual scoring and using an automated system (HCS; Clever Systems Inc.). The methods were compared using Bland–Altman plots, indicating a good level of agreement between the two methods for some behaviours. Other behaviours assessed showed HCS to over- or under-estimate the frequency or duration, however, when analysed using the Bland–Altman approach the two methods of analysis were still deemed interchangeable. This study has indicated that the automated analysis system may be appropriate for rapid analysis of behaviour changes in mice in some areas of biomedical research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pain assessment in laboratory animals is an ethical and legal requirement. The mouse grimace scale (MGS) is a new method of pain assessment deemed to be both accurate and reliable, and observers can be rapidly trained to use it. In order for a new pain assessment technique to be effective, we must ensure that the score awarded by the technique is only influenced by pain and not by other husbandry or non-painful but integral aspects of research protocols. Here, we studied 16 male mice, housed under standard laboratory conditions. Eight mice were randomly assigned to tail handling and eight to tube handling on arrival at the unit. On each occasion the mice were removed from their cage for routine husbandry, they were picked up using their assigned handling method. Photographs of the mouse faces were then scored by treatment-blind observers as per the MGS manual (see Nature Methods 2010, Vol. 7, pp 447–449), and scores from the two groups were compared. There was no significant difference in MGS scores between the mice that had been handled using a tube compared with the tail. Consequently, these methods of handling did not influence the baseline grimace score given, suggesting that these handling techniques are not confounding factors when establishing baseline MGS scores, further validating this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Mice are widely used to study various types of cancer to develop effective treatments, but this can cause them to experience pain or poor welfare, which may lead to inconsistent or negative findings. This study used a variety of welfare monitoring methods to determine if, or more importantly when mice developing lung cancer experienced poor welfare so that similar future studies can be ended before this occurs. It also aimed to determine whether non-aversive handling, also known as tunnel handling (lifting mice in a plastic tube rather than by the tail) is an effective method of refinement, leading to improved welfare and improved consistency of results. Compared to normal mice, those developing lung cancer showed behaviour changes consistent with poor welfare including a general lack of movement and facial expression changes (grimacing). Most noticeably, cancer caused a reduction in food consumption and the ability of the mice to build a suitable nest. These combined factors suggested the mice began to suffer around 4 days before the study ended. Tunnel handling did not improve our results consistency or enhance welfare, but importantly, it had no negative effects. The findings suggest similar studies should be ended when mice appear to make reduced quality nests. Cancer-bearing mice are at risk of developing anxiety, pain, or malaise. These conditions may not only harm welfare but could also undermine data quality and translational validity in studies to develop therapeutic interventions. We aimed to establish whether, or at what point mice developing lung cancer show these symptoms, what measures can best detect their onset, and if data quality and animal welfare can be enhanced by using non-aversive handling (NAH). Welfare was monitored using various daily methods. At the beginning and end of the study, we also scored behaviour for general welfare evaluation, recorded nociceptive thresholds, and applied the mouse grimace scale (MGS). Cancer caused a decline in daily welfare parameters (body weight, and food and water consumption) beginning at around 4 days prior to euthanasia. As cancer progressed, rearing and walking declined to a greater extent in cancer-bearing versus control mice, while grooming, inactive periods, and MGS scores increased. A decline in nest building capability and food consumption provided a particularly effective means of detecting deteriorating welfare. These changes suggested a welfare problem arose as cancer developed, so similar studies would benefit from refinement, with mice being removed from the study at least 4 days earlier. However, the problem of highly varied tumour growth made it difficult to determine this time-point accurately. There were no detectable beneficial effects of NAH on either data quality or in terms of enhanced welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss the medical intervention made to a patient that have migrating polyarthralgias or joint pain. They state that the scope of probable causes of fatigue and joint pain of the patient is broad, but the migration of polyarthralgias helps to narrow down the diagnosis. They mention that the physical examination of the patient revealed a consistent murmur with mitral regurgitation and central inflammation of the left knee.

The article discusses the case of a 57-year-old man who was brought to an emergency department due to painful purple toes. According to the authors, he had first reported with discoloration and pain in his left great toe two weeks before his admission to the department. They add that his medical condition progressed that led to the involvement of his left third and second toes.