Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Through a glass darkly: using behavior to assess pain

B Hansen1

  • 1North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Companion Animal and Special Species Medicine, Raleigh 27606, USA.

Seminars in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (Small Animal)
|May 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Assessing animal behavior is vital for evaluating pain. Objective methods, though challenging, offer unbiased pain assessment in veterinary patients, guiding clinical decisions.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The effect of dose timing schedule on live performance, carcass cutting yields, and fat quality of market gilts managed using GnRF immunization.

Translational animal science·2026
Same author

Trends in Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Prospective Cohort Study From the European Reference Network Registry (R-LIVER).

United European gastroenterology journal·2025
Same author

Expression of the novel serum biomarker of testicular germ cell tumours miR-371a-3p in serum of pregnant women: a case-control study.

European journal of medical research·2025
Same author

A large animal model for focal stroke: Photothrombotic lesion in the cortex of Danish Landrace pigs.

Journal of neuroscience methods·2025
Same author

Intra-islet glucagon signalling regulates beta-cell connectivity, first-phase insulin secretion and glucose homoeostasis.

Molecular metabolism·2024
Same author

Real-world hepatitis C prevalence and treatment uptake at opioid agonist therapy clinics in Ontario, Canada.

Journal of viral hepatitis·2024

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Medicine
  • Animal Behavior
  • Pain Management

Background:

  • Behavior assessment is critical for evaluating pain and discomfort in veterinary patients.
  • Behavioral responses are influenced by species, breed, age, sex, pain source, and disease.
  • Acute postoperative pain behaviors typically peak within 24 hours and decrease over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review methods for systematic pain evaluation in animals.
  • To highlight the importance of objective behavioral assessment tools.
  • To provide guidance on pain assessment in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

  • Review of published methods for animal pain evaluation.
  • Discussion of objective measures of physiologic responses.
  • Exploration of subjective, semi-objective, and quantitative behavioral assessments.
  • Comparison of quantitative behavior measures to pain-rating instruments in children.

Main Results:

  • Pain evaluation methods include objective physiology, subjective/semi-objective behavior, and quantitative behavior/physiology.
  • Quantitative behavior assessment techniques are similar to those used in pediatric pain research.
  • Objective tools offer methodological rigor and minimize observer bias but are difficult to develop and time-consuming.
  • Inter-patient variation in pain intensity and duration is significant.

Conclusions:

  • Objective assessment tools are valuable for unbiased pain evaluation in veterinary patients.
  • Until objective tools are widely adopted, clinicians should actively seek pain indicators in patients with tissue injury or inflammation.
  • A proactive approach to pain assessment is recommended in veterinary care.

Related Experiment Videos