Treatment of Pain in Reptiles

This chapter provides an overview of our current understanding of clinical analgesic use in reptiles. Currently, μ-opioid agonist drugs are the standard of care for analgesia in reptiles. Reptile pain is no longer considered a necessary part of recovery to keep the reptile from becoming active too early. Rather, treating pain allows for the reptile to begin normalizing their behavior. This recognition of pain and analgesia certainly benefits our reptile patients and greatly improves reptile welfare, but it also benefits our students and house officers, who will carry the torch and continue to demand excellence in reptile medicine.