ABSTRACT: Pain management involves considering pain, recognising pain, and managing pain. This three-part article will focus on recognition and management of pain in rabbits. Part One (this article) will look at assessment and recognition of pain. This discusses the physiological and behavioural signs that indicate pain. Part Two (next article) will look at managing pain. Analgesic options are discussed to cover all aspects of the pain pathway. Dose ranges for constant rate infusions are available. Local anaesthesia and analgesia techniques are discussed. Part Three will look at managing chronic pain in rabbits at home.

Author

Aneesa Malik MSc RVN Cert VNES Cert VNECC

Aneesa has worked in first opinion, charity, emergency, referral, exotics, and with some species of British wildlife. Her interests and learning aims within nursing is veterinary ethics and welfare. Specifically her focus is the emergency and critical patient, the wildlife and exotic patient, animal pain, and the end of life patient. Email: aneesa.rvn@gmail.com

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To cite this article: Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 36 (05)• March 2021 pp162-168

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