There are currently no published studies concerning the duration of postoperative pain in animals that have undergone surgical procedures. At the present time, there are also no guidelines governing the administration of analgesic medications to laboratory animals. This leaves agencies without a guideline of regulations concerning postoperative analgesics. This MQP, completed with Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine (TUSVM), will help to accomplish this by monitoring and scoring the behaviors of clinical dogs following specific surgical procedures. Our data will help to ensure that animals receive postoperative analgesia for the appropriate amount of time. It will also provide researchers with an assessment standard, in that excessive or prolonged amounts of pain in postoperative animals may indicate infection or improper tissue handling. This data from this MQP indicates that pain is not always treated for as many hours post-surgically as necessary. It is the recommendation of the researchers that titrated doses of analgesics be administered to patients for a minimum of 48 hours post-operatively.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Remley, Heather M.
• Green, Theresa Marie

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 99D102M

Advisor

• Adams, David S.

Year

• 1999

Date created

• 1999-01-01

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biology & Biotechnology

Rights statement

• In Copyright