Pain and Distress : Animal Welfare Information Center

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This page contains resources on pain management, pain assessment and scoring, alleviation of pain and distress, USDA categories of pain, guidelines for recognizing pain, and analgesics and analgesia.

Recognizing Pain in Animals
National Academies of Science. Institute for Laboratory Animal Research.
The National Academies have developed a free online resource to help those who care for and use laboratory animals, farm animals, and pets to prevent, recognize, and alleviate pain in different types of animals, from non-human primates to fish. The web site is related to a 2009 report on the Recognition and Alleviation of Pain in Laboratory Animals.

Guidelines to Promote the Wellbeing of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes: The Assessment and Alleviation of Pain and Distress in Research Animals
Australian Government. National Health and Medical Research Council.
Published in 2008 to be used by investigators and members of insitutional ethics committees in Australia, this document is also relevant to people that conduct, review or manage research with animals all over the world.

Altweb Pain Management (Anesthesia/Analgesia) Database
Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing.
A database with information about anesthesia and analgesia for laboratory animals, including available drugs and side effects.

Animal Care Policies
USDA. APHIS. Animal Care.
These two policies define painful procedures and provide guidance on the written narrative for consideration of alternatives.

Policy 11: Painful Procedures (PDF|24 KB)

Policy 12: Consideration of Alternatives to Painful Distressful Procedures (PDF|12 KB)

Definition of Pain and Distress and Reporting Requirements for Laboratory Animals: Proceedings of the Workshop Held June 22, 2000
Institute for Laboratory Animal Research
These proceedings address the existing and proposed requirements for reporting pain and distress in laboratory animals and explored USDA's consideration of a proposed "working definition" of distress. It also discusses the pain and distress categorization scheme for reporting to USDA.

Understanding Pain and its Relevance to Animals (PDF|236 KB)
Alberta Farm Animal Care.
A twenty two page report written by Dr. John Church, which discussions what pain is, how to recognize pain, and how to control pain. A review of scientific literature is included.

Pain Management and Humane Endpoints Meeting
The Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing.
From a CAAT, NIH, NAS conference held in November 1998. Topics include philosophy, assessment, alleviation, and policies for the regulation of pain.

Pain and Distress
Humane Society of the United States.
Fact sheets, articles and position statements from HSUS about pain and distress in research animals.

Pain and Distress in Laboratory Rodents and Lagomorphs (PDF|139 KB)
Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations.
The FELASA Working Group considered the nature of pain and distress in laboratory rodents and lagomorphs because they constitute the vast majority of subjects used in experimentation. The information is arranged in sections, although these are not always mutually exclusive

Position on the Treatment of Pain in Animals
American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists.
The ACVA encourages veterinarians and veterinary support staff to use their knowledge of pain recognition and management in providing effective management of pain in animals.

Refinement of Animal Use - Assessment and Alleviation of Pain and Distress (PDF|2.45 MB)
International Journal of Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare.
A review article on methods of clinical pain assessment in animals, including a discussion of pain alleviation techniques.

Farm Animal Pain
International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management.
Lists signs that indicate pain or discomfort in farm animals. A brief discussion of causes and list of treatments are given.

Animal Welfare Policy Statements
American Veterinary Medical Association.
Position statements covering recommendations on antimicrobial use, euthanasia, abuse, pain, and other important animal welfare concerns.

Last Modified: May 28, 2009