PHARMACEUTICAL CONTROL OF PAIN IN LARGE ANIMALS

Pain may result in tissue ischemia, tissue hypoxia, shock, severe card iac arrhythmias, atelectasis, renal failure, and a catabolic state. He nce, veterinarians are expected to treat pain in animals for ethical r easons and to improve wound healing. Adequate treatment of pain requir es recognition of a variety of cardiovascular, respiratory, neuroendoc rine, and behavioral changes associated with pain in animals. Pain tre atment can be directed at the periphery, at sensory axons, or at centr al neurons. Drugs that are used to interfere at one or more of these s ites include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioids, alpha(2)-adrenoceptor-agonists, and local anesthetics administered sys temically, locally, epidurally, or intrathecally. The dose rates and f requency of administration of each analgesic drug are highly dependent on animal species and route of drug administration. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.