Abstract
Objective
To determine the attitudes, opinions and knowledge of Italian veterinarians regarding
abdominal visceral pain in canine practice.
Study design
Prospective online survey.
Methods
An online questionnaire was created on a Google Form spreadsheet and the weblink was
circulated to Italian veterinarians on several mailing lists. The questionnaire, which
was available between November 2012 and July 2013, comprised 18 closed, semi-closed
and open questions divided into five sections (aetiology, recognition and assessment,
drug choices for canine visceral pain, general knowledge about pain management and
desire for further education, and demographic information).
Results
A total of 527 responses to the questionnaire were completed. Pancreatitis (19%),
gastroenteritis (17%) and gastrointestinal obstructions or foreign bodies (9%) were
highlighted as the most frequent causes of abdominal visceral pain. Posture, gait
and movement changes (32%) and physiological changes (31%) were commonly quoted for
pain recognition and assessment. Most respondents (74%) did not use pain scoring systems.
Pancreatitis and peritonitis were considered the most painful abdominal conditions.
Opioids (40%), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (21%) and tramadol (20%) were
cited as drugs for the management of visceral pain. A large percentage of respondents
(97%) believed that their knowledge regarding pain management required improvement.
There is practitioner interest for more continuing education in the subject. Most
respondents were women (66%), aged between 25 and 40 years (57%). Internal medicine
(56%), surgery (34%) and anaesthesiology (29%) were the main three speciality areas
of interest in this study.
Conclusions and clinical relevance
This online survey represents the opinion of a small number of Italian veterinarians
regarding the assessment and treatment of canine abdominal visceral pain. The results
show that Italian veterinarians are aware of the main causes and clinical signs of
canine visceral pain. Pain-scoring systems are not often used for the recognition
and assessment of pain; however, according to these veterinarians, visceral pain is
commonly diagnosed.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
September 10,
2015
Received:
November 24,
2014
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
