Species-specific assessment of pain in laboratory animals

Pain has been defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential damage or described in terms of such damage". However, the ability to describe the concept of pain is difficult largely because pain is an individualized and subjective experience. What one person finds painful, another may not; what relieves pain for one may not do so for another. Awareness of pain management has become an important health issue for humans and animals. To effectively manage pain, it is crucial to be able to identify it, and identification of pain in animals can be especially problematic. Recognition and alleviation of pain in animals used in biomedical research and teaching is an important goal, both from a humane and regulatory perspective. This paper will: 1) review current literature regarding pain assessment using pain scales and 2) describe how an institutional care and use committee (IACUC) has implemented an effective pain scoring system to allow for an objective, accurate, and humane assessment of pain experienced by animals used in biomedical research.