dc.rights.license | CC-BY-NC-ND | |
dc.contributor.advisor | Loon, Drs. J.P.A.M. van | |
dc.contributor.author | Schaafsma, M.K. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2009-04-23T17:00:49Z | |
dc.date.available | 2009-04-23 | |
dc.date.available | 2009-04-23T17:00:49Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2009 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/2587 | |
dc.description.abstract | The objective of this study was to evaluate physiological and behavioural parameters in order to create a
composite pain scale for horses after surgical castration. Based on literature several parameters were chosen
and tested for their use in a composite pain scale.
Two groups of horses (3 in each group) were studied one day preoperatively and three days postoperatively
after surgical castration. The horses in the control group received, according the protocol of the University of
Utrecht, analgesia preoperatively. The horses in the meloxicam group received analgesia preoperatively and
extra analgesia (meloxicam) during the first three days postoperatively. The physiological parameters tested
were body temperature, body weight, plasma cortisol concentration, gait, heart rate variability and swelling of
the scrotal area. The behavioural parameters consisted of a direct behavioural assessment and a time budget of
behaviour, composed of videorecordings of the horses.
No important significant differences were found between the meloxicam group and the control group in most
of the tested parameters. Almost no significant differences within a group between the base line value and any
other day were seen either.
This suggests either that the horses of the control group did not experience more pain than the horses in the
meloxicam group, or that none of the parameters was sensitive enough to measure the difference between the
meloxicam group and the control group.
However, only six horses were tested, limiting the results and conclusions that can be drawn from this study.
The parameters tested in this study were concluded to need more testing in following studies
containing more animals before they can be exluded for sure. | |
dc.description.sponsorship | Utrecht University | |
dc.format.extent | 329525 bytes | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.language.iso | en | |
dc.title | Assessment of pain in horses after surgical castration: composition of a pain scale | |
dc.type.content | Doctoral Thesis | |
dc.rights.accessrights | Open Access | |
dc.subject.keywords | Horse, castration, pain assessment, behavioural parameters, physiological parameters, NSAID, meloxicam | |
dc.subject.courseuu | Diergeneeskunde | |