Opioids are considered the "golden standard" in pain management for both humans and small animals, but is used less often in equine medicine - probably for fear of side effects. Are there any studies that suggest that side effects are a major problem, or is it lack of experience which is the greatest obstacle to use? As early as 1937 it was shown that morphine and morphine derivatives provide Analgesia in horses. For species other than horses used opioids often both pre-, intra-and postoperatively. They relieve pain effectively and are often included in the anesthesia protocol.

Pigs kept for meatproduction are often surgically castrated to prevent aggression and boartainted meat. Castration without Analgesia and anesthesia is painful and causes a lot of stress to the pig. There are alternatives such as to surgically castrate the male pigs with Analgesia and/or with anesthesia, immunocastrate or keep them as intact males. In Sweden the most common practice is to surgically castrate the pigs before they are seven days old. The impact on the pig is that the incision causes pain and stress, which may lead to changes in behaviour, reduced appetite, reduced growth and a higher risk of infections.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to describe the post-operative care during the three first days for patients who have undergone colorectal surgery according to ERAS care programs with a focus on the variables nutrition, elimination, activity, type of Analgesia and the number of hospital days documented in the patient record and patient log books. ERAS means "Early Recovery After Surgery" and the purpose of the health care program is to accelerate recovery after colorectal surgery. The study had a descriptive design and a quantitative approach, in which 51 patient records were included. Log books and patient records were reviewed postoperatively. According to the log books estimated most of the patients, who had documented, that they ate and drank very good or good.

The anatomy and physiology of reptiles and mammals are in many ways different, and will therefore possibly complicate anesthetic administration. Lizards are ectothermic and one should keep in mind that a decrease in the lizard?s environmental temperature may result in reductions in anesthetic metabolism. Respiratory depression is a profound problem because lizards lack a diaphragm, making inhalation and expiration completely active processes. This, in combination with cardiac shunting and breath holding makes the effects of anesthesia unpredictable.

The anatomy and physiology of reptiles and mammals are in many ways different, and will therefore possibly complicate anesthetic administration. Lizards are ectothermic and one should keep in mind that a decrease in the lizard?s environmental temperature may result in reductions in anesthetic metabolism. Respiratory depression is a profound problem because lizards lack a diaphragm, making inhalation and expiration completely active processes. This, in combination with cardiac shunting and breath holding makes the effects of anesthesia unpredictable.

This degree project aims to evaluate alternative methods to the unanaesthetized castration of piglets. Castration of piglets is performed to prevent the development of boar taint. Boar taint can cause great financial losses for the pig manufacturer. Unanaesthetized castration of piglets is not regarded to be satisfactory from an animal welfare perspective and the procedure will for that reason be outlawed in the near future.Several alternative methods are used in countries all over the world with promising result. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if this methods could be applied in Swedish pig production.A literature study has been combined with interviews; field studies, questionnaires and a small study on male pig production.To be applicable to and applied in Swedish pig production the alternative method must be financially accepted by the manufacturers but also accepted from an animal welfare perspective.Castration is the only way to guarantee a meat free of boar taint.

Hip dysplasia is a common, inherited malformation of the coxofemoral joint that eventually leads to osteoarthrosis. Several breeds of dogs are affected and the prevalence varies between different breeds. As part of the effort to reduce the prevalence of hip dysplasia and select dogs suitable for breeding, radiological screening is performed by at least 12 months of age. Before the radiological examination the dog has to be chemically restrained, sedated or anesthetized. The sedation protocol used differs between veterinary clinics. The impact of sedation method of the screening result for hip dysplasia has been studied.

Today there are no analgesic drugs approved to be used in goats. Drugs approved for use in other species are consequently being used without knowing the pharmacokinetics of these drugs in goats. The purpose of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of the opioid butorphanol when given subcutaneously in goats. Subcutaneous administration might extend the half-life compared to intravenous or intramuscular administration. Eight clinically healthy, non-pregnant 6 months old female goats were used.

In 2012, about 1.3 million boars were surgically castrated, most of them without anaesthesia. Castration is performed to avoid the occurrence of boar taint and aggressive and sexual behaviour. There is a growing concern about the welfare of the piglets and the Swedish Board of Agriculture is working to find efficient and functional alternatives to castration without anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to obtain an overall picture of the latest research about the alternatives to castration without anaesthesia, with focus on vaccination against boar taint, and how they affect the welfare of the pigs. The alternative methods that are available today are surgical castration with anaesthesia and/or Analgesia, rearing entire males and vaccination against boar taint.

The aim of this empirical study was to investigate how nurses on a ward within the emergency clinic deal with Analgesia prescriptions and the pain management documentation. The used method was divided into chart reviews and qualitative interviews with nurses in clinical practice at the ward. This means that both a qualitative and quantitative approach was desired. The results incline that nurses generally apply to the laws and restrictions surrounding the nursing discipline, as used in pain treatment. Thus they generally fulfill the obligations accounting to documentation.

BACKGROUND: The nurse profession is nursing care and that includes leading and educate co-worker. In north-east Skåne a nurse started a study circle about pain for nursing staff at housing for elderly. AIM: The aim of this study was to understand the nursing staffs understanding about the study circle as a resource for their work with Analgesia among elderly after participating in the same. METHOD: A qualitative approach was used and collecting data was done by a semi-structured focus group interview and two individual semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed by content analyses.

Många studier visar att det finns en skillnad mellan sjuksköterskans bedömning och patientens upplevelse av smärta och smärtbehandling. Syftet med litteraturstudien är att jämföra dessa uppfattningar. Eftersom god smärtlindring är en förutsättning för patientens psykiska såväl som fysiska välmående är det av stor vikt att sjuksköterskans bedömningar är så korrekta som möjligt. Förutom olika smärtskattningsmetoder, ex. VAS skalan är det nödvändigt att sjuksköterskor medvetandegörs om sina egna attityder, då dessa kan påverka kvalitén på omvårdnaden.

In this study the opioid buprenorphine was given to 8 clinically healthy goats. The pharmacokinetics and behavioral effects were studied. Injections of buprenorphine, 0.02 mg/kg body weight was given both intramuscularly (i.m.) and intravenously (i.v.) with a cross over design. The results showed a short half-life of the drug in the plasma, 65.9 ± 17.4 min (mean ± SD), after i.v. injection.

Pet rabbits are increasing in popularity and the owners want the same treatment for them as they would want for a dog or a cat. However, the knowledge among clinical staff about these small animals is not always up to date. The aim of this paper is to highlight the needs of the pet rabbit and how these can be met regarding veterinary nursing. Pet rabbits are different from dogs and cats in several ways and their needs as patients differ as well. Rabbits are herbivorous prey animals. To avoid predators, they are very reluctant to show any sign of weakness for as long as they can.

Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att beskriva vilken aktuell vetenskap som lett till rekommendationen av att administrera sockerlösning till nyfödda barn i smärtlindrande syfte, i samband med hälstick/venpunktion. Litteraturstudien var av kvantitativ, deskriptiv art. Data analyserades med hjälp av Forsberg och Wengströms granskningsmall för randomiserade kontrollerade studier. De studier som granskades i denna uppsats visade genomgående att sockerlösningen har betydelse för smärtlindringen hos det nyfödda barnet som genomgått någon form av procedursmärta. Vad gäller styrkan på sockerlösningarna kunde konstateras att högre styrka gav bättre effekt.