ABSTRACT
The objective was to relate the need for analgesic postoperative recovery through Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Glasgow, Colorado and Melbourne, by an experienced assessor (AE) and other non-experienced ones (ANE), in bitches undergoing total unilateral mastectomy. Otherwise healthy bitches, a total of 24, were admitted 24 hours before the surgical procedure for assessment of behavior with the help of the above scales to determine the baseline (M0) moment. They were pre-medicated with morphine and acepromazine (0,02 and 0,5 mg/kg) and general anesthesia was induced with propofol (4 mg/kg) and maintained with isoflurane at 1% MAC. The analgesic during surgery was maintained with ketamine and fentanyl (10 µg/kg/min and 10 µg/kg/h). The other evaluations were performed at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 hours postoperatively, and redemptions made with intramuscular morphine (0,5 mg/kg) when a greater than or equal score of 50, 6, 2 and 9 points was observed respectively for the described ranges, as observed by the AE and when at least two scales demonstrated these values. There was an increase of M1 to M12 pain scores for AE and the ANE for VAS. In Colorado analyses, the highest painful scores occurred in relation to M0 between M2 and M8 to the AE and M1 to M12 for ANE. In Glasgow analyses, higher scores were detected between M1 to M12 for AE and M1 to M24 for ANE. And for the Melbourne highest values were observed in M1 and M24 for AE and ANE. The best correlation between the scales was 0,775 between Glasgow and Colorado and of the evaluators of 0,925 to Glasgow. The Glasgow scale was shown to be more sensitive to detect painkiller redemptions in dogs undergoing total unilateral mastectomy, the inexperience of the appraiser does not compromise the quality of painful reviews, and it is suggested to reduce the score VAS and Melbourne to increase it is ability to detect rescue postoperative analgesics.
Keywords:
dog; pain assessment; composite scales; acute pain; mastectomy