Development of the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) as a pain assessment tool in horses undergoing routine castration.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The assessment of pain is critical for the welfare of horses, in particular when pain is induced by common management procedures such as castration. Existing pain assessment methods have several limitations, which reduce the applicability in everyday life. Assessment of facial expression changes, as a novel means of pain scoring, may offer numerous advantages and overcome some of these limitations. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a standardised pain scale based on facial expressions in horses (Horse Grimace Scale [HGS]).

Methodology/principal findings

Forty stallions were assigned to one of two treatments and all animals underwent routine surgical castration under general anaesthesia. Group A (n = 19) received a single injection of Flunixin

SUBMITTER: Dalla Costa E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3960217 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature