Animal Pain

The treatment of pain in farm animals is still inadequate. As pain behaviors are not recognized, it is believed that these species feel less pain than small animals. There is also a financial limitation and until recently there were few valid and reliable instruments for the assessment of pain.

Sheep are subjected to several procedures that cause pain, such as castration, tail docking, and ear tagging, often without the proper use of anesthesia or analgesia. Pain in sheep also occurs in diseases such as mastitis, pododermatitis, foot abscesses, and external myiasis, which can lead to chronic pain. Thus, it is essential to identify, quantify, and treat pain in sheep.

The Unesp-Botucatu Composite Scale for Pain Assessment in Sheep (USAPS – Unesp-Botucatu Sheep Pain Scale) has been validated in a robust manner and presents a score indicating the need for analgesic intervention, that is, a value from which the use of painkillers is recommended.

Unesp-Botucatu Composite Scale for pain assessment in sheep

(USAPS – Unesp-Botucatu Sheep Pain Scale)

The USAPS presents six characteristics:

1) Interaction

2) Activity

3) Locomotion

4) Head position

5) Appetite

6) Posture

Each characteristic has 3 levels scored from 0 (normality or absence of pain) to 2 (greatest pain possible). Please see the description of the behaviors on the ethogram of sheep in pain.

 

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

Unesp-Botucatu Sheep Pain Scale (USAPS)

1. Interaction

Score

Videos

Active, attentive to the environment, interacts and/or follows other animals or sleeps

0

Apathetic: may remain close to other animals, but interacts little

1

Very apathetic: isolated or not interacting with other animals, not interested in the environment

2

2. Locomotion

Score

Videos

Moves about freely, without altered locomotion; when stopped, the pelvic limbs are parallel to the thoracic limbs or sleeps

0

Moves about with restriction and/or short steps and/or pauses and/or lameness; when stopped, the thoracic or pelvic limbs may be more open and further back than normal

1

Difficulty and/or reluctant to get up and/or not moving and/or walking abnormally and/or limping; may lean against a surface

2

3. Head position

Score

Videos

Head above the withers or eating or sleeping

0

Head at the height of the withers

1

Head below the withers (except when eating)

2

4) Posture

Videos

A. Arched back

B. Extends the head and neck

C. Lying down with head resting on the ground or close to the ground

D. Moves the tail quickly and repeatedly (except when breastfeeding) and/or keeps the tail straight (except to defecate/urinate)

Score

Absence of these behaviors

0

Presence of one of the related behaviors

1

Presence of two or more of the related behaviors

2

5. Activity

Score

Videos

Moves normally or sleeps

0

Restless, moves more than normal or lies down and gets up frequently

1

Moves less frequently or only when stimulated using a stick or does not move

2

6. Appetite

Score

Videos

Normal appetite and/or rumination present or sleeping

0

Decreased appetite

1

No appetite

2

After watching the videos corresponding to all sub-items of each item on the scale, watch the test videos, and analyze and score the behaviors. Then check the responses for each video. You are able to use the scale when your scores are up to 20% higher or lower than the template scores in at least three tests.

Decision to perform analgesia*

Score

Analgesic intervention score
(cut-off point)

USAPS

0 to 12

≥ 4

Diagnostic uncertainty zone: scores between 4 and 5

Numerical scale

0 to 10

≥ 4

Simple descriptive scale

1 to 4

≥ 2

Visual analogue scale

0 – 100 mm

≥ 26 mm

* Regardless of the score, it is up to the veterinarian to decide whether or not to use analgesics, according to the clinical evaluation.

After reading and training the previous items, click below to assess pain in your animal.