Analgesia of small mammals

Abstract

Small mammals receive analgesics much less frequently than more familiar species such as dogs and cats. This is probably related to the greater difficulty of recognizing pain in these species, and the uncertainty as to the most appropriate analgesic regimen to implement when the presence of pain is suspected. However, the same principles of pain assessment and analgesic use that are applied when dealing with other companion animals can be used to manage pain effectively in small mammals. All of the commonly used analgesic agents can be used safely and effectively in small mammals, although the size of many of these animals limits the use of techniques such as epidural administration or transdermal drug delivery systems. As with other species, it is important to integrate an analgesic regimen with the overall scheme of perioperative care, and to try to implement preemptive and multi-modal analgesic therapy.