Ethogram with the description of the pain behaviors in sheep
Normal behavior
Eat
Act of eating feed
Ruminate
Act of ruminating
Drink
Act of drinking water
Urinate
Act of urinating
Defecate
Act of defecating
Sleep
Act of sleeping
Interaction
Normal interaction
Active, attentive to the environment, interacts with and/or follows other animals
Reduced interaction
Apathetic: may remain close to other animals but interacts little
Absent interaction
Very apathetic: is isolated or does not follow other animals, is not interested in the environment
Locomotion
Normal locomotion
Moves about freely, without altered locomotion; when stopped, the pelvic limbs are parallel to the thoracic limbs
Reduced/altered locomotion
Moves about with restriction and/or short steps and/or pauses and/or lameness with limb support; when stopped
Absent/abnormal locomotion
Reluctant to get up or gets up with difficulty; does not move or demonstrates unstable or rigid walking and/or limps with little or no limb support; may walk backward or walk in a circle or lean against a surface or fall
Head position
Head above the withers
Head is positioned above the withers
Head at the height of the withers
Head is positioned at the same level of the withers
Head below the withers
Head is positioned below the withers (except when eating)
Posture
Standing still in normal posture
Quadrupedal position when not moving
Standing in altered posture
Quadrupedal position with arched back and pelvic limbs rigid and/or caudally extended (pelvic limbs may be more open and further back than normal)
Other behaviors
Kick and stamp the limbs on the ground
Kicks the limbs while standing
Lying down with extension of the head and neck and/or limb(s)
Stretches the head and neck and thoracic or pelvic limbs when in recumbence
Lying down
Lying in ventral or lateral recumbence
Lying down with head turned back
Lying down with the head turning back
Lying with head supported on or close to the ground
Lying down with head close or supported on the ground
Quick and repeated tail movements
Energetic tail wagging (except when breastfeeding)
Keep the tail straight
(when not urinating or defecating)
Tail stretched (when not urinating or defecating)
Arch the back
Back arching
Body tremors
Back and abdomen (mostly) trembling
Body rotation
Rotates body partially or totally, without getting up
Attention to the affected area
Does not look
Turns the head and looks
Licks or tries to lick or avoids contact of the area with surfaces or other animals