FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia2003; 30(3); 124-137; doi: 10.1046/j.1467-2995.2003.00139.x

Preliminary evaluation of a behaviour-based system for assessment of post-operative pain in horses following arthroscopic surgery.

Abstract: To develop a method for objective assessment of equine post-operative pain. Methods: Prospective nonblinded clinical study. Methods: Twelve adult horses: Group 1 (G1, n = 6), admitted for arthroscopy (under general anaesthesia, with multimodal analgesia); Group 2 (G2, n = 6), 'pain free' controls. Methods: Horses were filmed continuously (CVI, time-lapse video recorder) over 72 hours, from 24 hours pre-surgery (PS) to 48 hours post-recovery (PR) (G1), and over 24 hours (G2). Activity budgets were determined from 24 to 0 hours PS, 0-24 and 24-48 hours PR (G1) and for 24 hours (G2). Using direct observation (DO), active behaviours and postures were recorded at set time points PS and PR (G1) and at two time points (morning/evening) (G2). Heart rate (HR) and respiration rate (RR) were recorded simultaneously. Statistical analysis investigated within-group and between-group time-related changes in behaviour, HR and RR. Results: There was no difference in HR or RR between G1 and G2 at any time point. Anaesthetic 'hangover' and hunger-related activity modulated behaviour from 0 to 6 hours PR, when abnormal postures and locomotion occurred in all G1 horses, but no G2 horses. Compared with G1 (0-24 hours PR), G2 spent more time eating (t = -3.34, p < 0.01), more time at the front of the stable (t = -2.42, p < 0.05), and less time exhibiting 'abnormal' behaviour (U = 56, p < 0.01). Comparing PS and PR behaviour, G1 spent less time exploring from 24 to 48 hours PR (t = 3.49, p < 0.05), less time in sternal recumbency (t = -3.8, p < 0.05) and less time moving (t = 3.19, p < 0.05). Horses tended (p < 0.07) to spend less time positioned in the front of the stable PR (less from 24 to 48 hours PR than from 0 to 24 hours PR). Comparing PR (evening) behaviour, G2 spent more time with head above withers (U = 21.5, p < 0.01), and ears forwards (U = 22, p < 0.01). G1 showed time-related changes (all p < 0.05) in time with lower lip tense (S = 15.8), eating (S = 17.08) and with head positioned above withers (S = 18.04). No differences in event behaviours were observed between G1 and G2. Within G1, only olfactory behaviour varied significantly with time (S = 14.52, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Changes in equine behaviour suggestive of post-operative discomfort were identified using both DO and CVI. Analysis of activity budgets may be a more sensitive method of identifying behavioural changes indicative of equine discomfort than repeated DO of specific events and postures.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2003-09-23 PubMed ID: 14498844DOI: 10.1046/j.1467-2995.2003.00139.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Evaluation Study
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article focuses on developing an objective method to ascertain post-operative pain in horses that have undergone arthroscopic surgery. Utilizing behavioral analysis and physiological measures like heart and respiration rate, the study aims to identify signs of discomfort in the horses post-surgery.

Research Methodology

  • The study was conducted on 12 adult horses divided into two groups: the first group underwent arthroscopic surgery, and the second group served as ‘pain-free’ controls.
  • Horses in both groups were continuously filmed: 72 hours for the surgical group (including 24 hours pre-surgery and 48 hours post-recovery), and 24 hours for the control group.
  • The researchers’ methods aimed to establish ‘activity budgets’ of the horses by evaluating their active behaviors and postures at set time points pre-surgery and post-recover for the surgical group, and at two time points for the control group.
  • Heart rate and respiration rate of the horses were also recorded simultaneously to correlate physical reactions with behavior.
  • Statistical analysis was used to investigate the alterations in behavior, heart rate and respiration rate within and between the two groups over time.

Research Findings

  • The study found no significant difference in heart rate or respiration rate between the two groups at any time point.
  • Alterations in behavior were observed in the surgical group due to effects of anesthesia and hunger from 0 to 6 hours post-recovery.
  • All horses in the surgical group exhibited abnormal postures and locomotion in this period, whereas no such behavior was observed in the control group.
  • Comparatively, horses in the control group spent more time eating and positioned towards the front of the stable, displaying less abnormal behavior.
  • Observations also showed that post-recovery, the surgical group spent less time exploring, moving and in sternal recumbency.
  • Within the surgical group, the researchers noted time-related behavioral changes such as increase in time spent with tensed lower lip, eating, and with head positioned above withers. However, no difference in repeated event behaviors was observed between the two groups.
  • In the surgical group, the only olfactory behavior was seen to vary significantly with time.

Conclusions

  • The study concluded that equine behavior showing signs of post-operative discomfort can be identified effectively through Direct Observation and Continuous Video Recording.
  • Analyzing changes in the horses’ activity budgets was deduced to be a more sensitive method for identifying behavioral changes reflecting discomfort in horses, as compared to repeated observations of specific events and postures.

Cite This Article

APA
Price J, Catriona S, Welsh EM, Waran NK. (2003). Preliminary evaluation of a behaviour-based system for assessment of post-operative pain in horses following arthroscopic surgery. Vet Anaesth Analg, 30(3), 124-137. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1467-2995.2003.00139.x

Publication

Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia
ISSN: 1467-2987
NlmUniqueID: 100956422
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 30
Issue: 3
Pages: 124-137

Researcher Affiliations

Price, Jill
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK. Jill.Price@ed.ac.uk
Catriona, Seago
    Welsh, Elizabeth M
      Waran, Natalie K

        MeSH Terms

        • Animals
        • Arthroscopy / adverse effects
        • Arthroscopy / veterinary
        • Behavior, Animal
        • Female
        • Heart Rate
        • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
        • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
        • Horses
        • Male
        • Motor Activity
        • Pain Measurement / methods
        • Pain Measurement / veterinary
        • Pain, Postoperative / diagnosis
        • Pain, Postoperative / physiopathology
        • Pain, Postoperative / veterinary
        • Posture
        • Respiration
        • Video Recording / methods

        Citations

        This article has been cited 32 times.
        1. Roig-Pons M, Bachmann I, Freymond SB. Impact of feeding strategies on the welfare and behaviour of horses in groups: An experimental study. PLoS One 2025;20(6):e0325928.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0325928pubmed: 40560838google scholar: lookup
        2. Lundblad J, Rhodin M, Hernlund E, Bjarnestig H, Hidén Rudander S, Haubro Andersen P. Facial expressions during compound interventions of nociception, conspecific isolation, and sedation in horses. Sci Rep 2025 Feb 13;15(1):5373.
          doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-89329-xpubmed: 39948238google scholar: lookup
        3. Alipour-Khairkhah H, Azizi S, Asri-Rezaei S. Stress, lipid profile and inflammatory responses to flunixin meglumine administration in surgical and non-surgical castration in donkeys. Vet Anim Sci 2025 Mar;27:100423.
          doi: 10.1016/j.vas.2024.100423pubmed: 39835330google scholar: lookup
        4. Nowak M, Martin-Cirera A, Jenner F, Auer U. Time budgets and weight shifting as indicators of pain in hospitalized horses. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2024;5:1410302.
          doi: 10.3389/fpain.2024.1410302pubmed: 39109240google scholar: lookup
        5. Spahija N, Lutvikadić I, Ćoso A, Maksimović A. Current attitudes and self-rated abilities of Bosnia and Herzegovina veterinarians toward pain recognition and quantification in domestic animals. Anim Welf 2023;32:e50.
          doi: 10.1017/awf.2023.46pubmed: 38487441google scholar: lookup
        6. Auer U, Kelemen Z, Vogl C, von Ritgen S, Haddad R, Torres Borda L, Gabmaier C, Breteler J, Jenner F. Development, refinement, and validation of an equine musculoskeletal pain scale. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2023;4:1292299.
          doi: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1292299pubmed: 38312997google scholar: lookup
        7. Jodzio D, DeNotta S, Plummer C, Sanchez C. Pain scoring systems in hospitalized horses with ocular disease. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Jan-Feb;38(1):388-397.
          doi: 10.1111/jvim.16933pubmed: 37982362google scholar: lookup
        8. Harvey AM, Beausoleil NJ, Ramp D, Mellor DJ. Mental Experiences in Wild Animals: Scientifically Validating Measurable Welfare Indicators in Free-Roaming Horses. Animals (Basel) 2023 Apr 28;13(9).
          doi: 10.3390/ani13091507pubmed: 37174544google scholar: lookup
        9. Kim SM, Cho GJ. Analysis of Various Facial Expressions of Horses as a Welfare Indicator Using Deep Learning. Vet Sci 2023 Apr 10;10(4).
          doi: 10.3390/vetsci10040283pubmed: 37104439google scholar: lookup
        10. Lanci A, Benedetti B, Freccero F, Castagnetti C, Mariella J, van Loon JPAM, Padalino B. Development of a Composite Pain Scale in Foals: A Pilot Study. Animals (Basel) 2022 Feb 11;12(4).
          doi: 10.3390/ani12040439pubmed: 35203146google scholar: lookup
        11. Kelemen Z, Grimm H, Long M, Auer U, Jenner F. Recumbency as an Equine Welfare Indicator in Geriatric Horses and Horses with Chronic Orthopaedic Disease. Animals (Basel) 2021 Nov 8;11(11).
          doi: 10.3390/ani11113189pubmed: 34827921google scholar: lookup
        12. Andersen PH, Broomé S, Rashid M, Lundblad J, Ask K, Li Z, Hernlund E, Rhodin M, Kjellström H. Towards Machine Recognition of Facial Expressions of Pain in Horses. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 1;11(6).
          doi: 10.3390/ani11061643pubmed: 34206077google scholar: lookup
        13. Kelemen Z, Grimm H, Vogl C, Long M, Cavalleri JMV, Auer U, Jenner F. Equine Activity Time Budgets: The Effect of Housing and Management Conditions on Geriatric Horses and Horses with Chronic Orthopaedic Disease. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 23;11(7).
          doi: 10.3390/ani11071867pubmed: 34201584google scholar: lookup
        14. Benato L, Murrell J, Knowles TG, Rooney NJ. Development of the Bristol Rabbit Pain Scale (BRPS): A multidimensional composite pain scale specific to rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). PLoS One 2021;16(6):e0252417.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252417pubmed: 34115781google scholar: lookup
        15. Trindade PHE, Taffarel MO, Luna SPL. Spontaneous Behaviors of Post-Orchiectomy Pain in Horses Regardless of the Effects of Time of Day, Anesthesia, and Analgesia. Animals (Basel) 2021 May 31;11(6).
          doi: 10.3390/ani11061629pubmed: 34072875google scholar: lookup
        16. Auer U, Kelemen Z, Engl V, Jenner F. Activity Time Budgets-A Potential Tool to Monitor Equine Welfare?. Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 17;11(3).
          doi: 10.3390/ani11030850pubmed: 33802908google scholar: lookup
        17. Torcivia C, McDonnell S. Equine Discomfort Ethogram. Animals (Basel) 2021 Feb 23;11(2).
          doi: 10.3390/ani11020580pubmed: 33672338google scholar: lookup
        18. Kil N, Ertelt K, Auer U. Development and Validation of an Automated Video Tracking Model for Stabled Horses. Animals (Basel) 2020 Nov 30;10(12).
          doi: 10.3390/ani10122258pubmed: 33266297google scholar: lookup
        19. Rashid M, Silventoinen A, Gleerup KB, Andersen PH. Equine Facial Action Coding System for determination of pain-related facial responses in videos of horses. PLoS One 2020;15(11):e0231608.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231608pubmed: 33141852google scholar: lookup
        20. Ribitsch I, Baptista PM, Lange-Consiglio A, Melotti L, Patruno M, Jenner F, Schnabl-Feichter E, Dutton LC, Connolly DJ, van Steenbeek FG, Dudhia J, Penning LC. Large Animal Models in Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering: To Do or Not to Do. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020;8:972.
          doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00972pubmed: 32903631google scholar: lookup
        21. Torcivia C, McDonnell S. In-Person Caretaker Visits Disrupt Ongoing Discomfort Behavior in Hospitalized Equine Orthopedic Surgical Patients. Animals (Basel) 2020 Jan 27;10(2).
          doi: 10.3390/ani10020210pubmed: 32012670google scholar: lookup
        22. Trindade PHE, Hartmann E, Keeling LJ, Andersen PH, Ferraz GC, Paranhos da Costa MJR. Effect of work on body language of ranch horses in Brazil. PLoS One 2020;15(1):e0228130.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228130pubmed: 31990951google scholar: lookup
        23. Contreras-Aguilar MD, Escribano D, Martín-Cuervo M, Tecles F, Cerón JJ. Salivary alpha-amylase activity and cortisol in horses with acute abdominal disease: a pilot study. BMC Vet Res 2018 May 10;14(1):156.
          doi: 10.1186/s12917-018-1482-4pubmed: 29747642google scholar: lookup
        24. Johnson C. Research Tools for the Measurement of Pain and Nociception. Animals (Basel) 2016 Nov 11;6(11).
          doi: 10.3390/ani6110071pubmed: 27845724google scholar: lookup
        25. Conde Ruiz C, Cruz Benedetti IC, Guillebert I, Portier KG. Effect of Pre- and Postoperative Phenylbutazone and Morphine Administration on the Breathing Response to Skin Incision, Recovery Quality, Behavior, and Cardiorespiratory Variables in Horses Undergoing Fetlock Arthroscopy: A Pilot Study. Front Vet Sci 2015;2:58.
          doi: 10.3389/fvets.2015.00058pubmed: 26664985google scholar: lookup
        26. Curtis L, Burford JH, Thomas JS, Curran ML, Bayes TC, England GC, Freeman SL. Prospective study of the primary evaluation of 1016 horses with clinical signs of abdominal pain by veterinary practitioners, and the differentiation of critical and non-critical cases. Acta Vet Scand 2015 Oct 6;57:69.
          doi: 10.1186/s13028-015-0160-9pubmed: 26444675google scholar: lookup
        27. Regan Nee Ashley FH, Hockenhull J, Pritchard JC, Waterman-Pearson AE, Whay HR. Clinical abnormalities in working donkeys and their associations with behaviour. Vet Rec Open 2015;2(1):e000105.
          doi: 10.1136/vetreco-2014-000105pubmed: 26392903google scholar: lookup
        28. Taffarel MO, Luna SP, de Oliveira FA, Cardoso GS, Alonso Jde M, Pantoja JC, Brondani JT, Love E, Taylor P, White K, Murrell JC. Refinement and partial validation of the UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional composite pain scale for assessing postoperative pain in horses. BMC Vet Res 2015 Apr 1;11:83.
          doi: 10.1186/s12917-015-0395-8pubmed: 25888751google scholar: lookup
        29. Gleerup KB, Forkman B, Lindegaard C, Andersen PH. An equine pain face. Vet Anaesth Analg 2015 Jan;42(1):103-14.
          doi: 10.1111/vaa.12212pubmed: 25082060google scholar: lookup
        30. Dalla Costa E, Minero M, Lebelt D, Stucke D, Canali E, Leach MC. Development of the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) as a pain assessment tool in horses undergoing routine castration. PLoS One 2014;9(3):e92281.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092281pubmed: 24647606google scholar: lookup
        31. Leach MC, Coulter CA, Richardson CA, Flecknell PA. Are we looking in the wrong place? Implications for behavioural-based pain assessment in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculi) and beyond?. PLoS One 2011 Mar 15;6(3):e13347.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013347pubmed: 21423605google scholar: lookup
        32. Auer JA, Goodship A, Arnoczky S, Pearce S, Price J, Claes L, von Rechenberg B, Hofmann-Amtenbrinck M, Schneider E, Müller-Terpitz R, Thiele F, Rippe KP, Grainger DW. Refining animal models in fracture research: seeking consensus in optimising both animal welfare and scientific validity for appropriate biomedical use. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2007 Aug 1;8:72.
          doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-8-72pubmed: 17678534google scholar: lookup
        Subscribe to our newsletter
        Join 99,727 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.