Primate veterinarians' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain in macaques

Area of Science:

• Veterinary medicine
• Primate welfare
• Animal pain management

Background:

• Assessing acute pain in macaques presents significant challenges for veterinarians.
• Understanding veterinarians' current knowledge and attitudes is crucial for improving macaque pain assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate primate veterinarians' knowledge and attitudes regarding acute pain in macaques.
• To synthesize current knowledge and opinions to enhance macaque pain assessment strategies.
• To determine if confidence levels influence veterinarians' knowledge and attitudes towards macaque pain.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was distributed to primate veterinarians in laboratory and zoo/sanctuary settings.
• The survey collected data on demographics, attitudes towards pain, pain recognition, confidence levels, and analgesic use.
• Questionnaire items addressed pain rating, recognition of behavioral and facial pain indicators, and information sources.

Main Results:

• Respondents generally demonstrated good use of analgesia.
• Veterinarians with higher confidence reported better recognition of behavioral and facial pain cues.
• More confident individuals rated pain signs higher and utilized more analgesics.

Conclusions:

• Increased veterinarian confidence correlates with improved pain recognition and analgesic use in macaques.
• Specialist support networks could enhance veterinarian confidence in macaque pain assessment.
• Addressing confidence gaps is key to advancing pain management in non-human primates.