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PloS one2014; 9(3); e92281; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092281

Development of the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) as a pain assessment tool in horses undergoing routine castration.

Abstract: The assessment of pain is critical for the welfare of horses, in particular when pain is induced by common management procedures such as castration. Existing pain assessment methods have several limitations, which reduce the applicability in everyday life. Assessment of facial expression changes, as a novel means of pain scoring, may offer numerous advantages and overcome some of these limitations. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a standardised pain scale based on facial expressions in horses (Horse Grimace Scale [HGS]). Results: Forty stallions were assigned to one of two treatments and all animals underwent routine surgical castration under general anaesthesia. Group A (n = 19) received a single injection of Flunixin immediately before anaesthesia. Group B (n = 21) received Flunixin immediately before anaesthesia and then again, as an oral administration, six hours after the surgery. In addition, six horses were used as anaesthesia controls (C). These animals underwent non-invasive, indolent procedures, received the same treatment as group A, but did not undergo surgical procedures that could be accompanied with surgical pain. Changes in behaviour, composite pain scale (CPS) scores and horse grimace scale (HGS) scores were assessed before and 8-hours post-procedure. Only horses undergoing castration (Groups A and B) showed significantly greater HGS and CPS scores at 8-hours post compared to pre operatively. Further, maintenance behaviours such as explorative behaviour and alertness were also reduced. No difference was observed between the two analgesic treatment groups. Conclusions: The Horse Grimace Scale potentially offers an effective and reliable method of assessing pain following routine castration in horses. However, auxiliary studies are required to evaluate different painful conditions and analgesic schedules.
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Publication Date: 2014-03-19 PubMed ID: 24647606PubMed Central: PMC3960217DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092281Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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This research study discusses the development of a pain assessment tool called the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) for horses undergoing routine castration. The tool is aimed to better manage pain by evaluating changes in facial expressions of the horses.

Study Objective and Methodology

The aim of the study was to create a standard pain scale that could offer a more practical way to assess pain in everyday scenarios. This pain scale, termed as the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS), is built around changes in facial expressions of horses. The study was conducted on 40 stallions who were divided into two groups. All of them underwent surgical castration under general anesthesia.

Additionally, a control group was used for non-invasive procedures. Forty horses underwent castration, with some receiving medication before anesthesia and others both before anesthesia and post surgery. The behavioral changes, composite pain scale (CPS) scores, and HGS scores of horses were recorded before and after the procedure.

Results and Findings

  • Post procedure, only horses that underwent castration showed a significant increase in CPS and HGS scores, indicating an elevated pain level.
  • Furthermore, routine behaviors such as alertness and explorative behavior were found to decrease in the horses after the surgery
  • There was no significant difference between the two groups with different analgesic treatment schedules, revealing the effect of the procedure itself rather than the medication timeline.

Conclusions and Further Studies

The findings indicate that the HGS potentially offers a reliable, efficient method of assessing pain post castration in horses. This tool provides a more feasible way of determining pain in everyday settings and improves the welfare of the horses. However, the study acknowledges that more studies are needed to validate this tool under varied painful conditions and different analgesic treatment schedules.

Cite This Article

APA
Dalla Costa E, Minero M, Lebelt D, Stucke D, Canali E, Leach MC. (2014). Development of the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) as a pain assessment tool in horses undergoing routine castration. PLoS One, 9(3), e92281. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092281

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 9
Issue: 3
Pages: e92281

Researcher Affiliations

Dalla Costa, Emanuela
  • Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie e Sanità Pubblica, Milan, Italy.
Minero, Michela
  • Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie e Sanità Pubblica, Milan, Italy.
Lebelt, Dirk
  • Pferdeklinik Havelland / Havelland Equine Hospital, Beetzsee-Brielow, Germany.
Stucke, Diana
  • Pferdeklinik Havelland / Havelland Equine Hospital, Beetzsee-Brielow, Germany.
Canali, Elisabetta
  • Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie e Sanità Pubblica, Milan, Italy.
Leach, Matthew C
  • Newcastle University, School of Agriculture, Food & Rural Development, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

MeSH Terms

  • Analgesics / therapeutic use
  • Animals
  • Castration / adverse effects
  • Clonixin / analogs & derivatives
  • Clonixin / therapeutic use
  • Horses
  • Pain / diagnosis
  • Pain / drug therapy
  • Pain / etiology
  • Pain Measurement / methods

Conflict of Interest Statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Citations

This article has been cited 210 times.
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