A System To Grade A Dog's Medical Pain

In a survey last year, 26% of veterinarians in Japan said that they do not anesthetize animals when they perform surgery on them, said Kiyokazu Naganobu, assistant professor of Miyazaki University's Faculty of Agriculture.

The researchers want the veterinarians to know the animal's pain using the system when they treat broken bones and other acute problems so that adequate levels of painkilling medication may be used.

The system lists 42 dog behaviors and categorizes them into the painless "Level 0" stage to "Level 4," in which dogs are believed to have the severest level of pain.

For example, dogs are estimated to have the "Level 1" pain if they "do not try to come out of the kennel" or "wag tails weakly."

Symptoms indicating the "Level 2" pain include decreased appetite and attempts to protect the hurting areas of the body, while the severest "Level 4" pain is manifested in "intermittent crying and inability to sleep," the researchers said.

Be sure to read the entire article. It would be worth reading the entire study.