Survey of German veterinarians' approaches to pain assessment and management of perioperative pain in pet rabbits

Background This study aimed to assess veterinary practices in pain recognition and perioperative analgesic therapy in pet rabbits. Methods An online questionnaire was distributed German veterinarians from July to October 2022, containing questions on the frequency with which they treated rabbits and the methods they used to evaluate pain in this species. Additionally, participants were asked detailed questions about their approach to perioperative pain management when performing soft-tissue surgery, specifically an ovariohysterectomy, in rabbits. Results One hundred and fifty-four questionnaires were considered for final analysis. The most commonly reported indicators to detect pain in rabbits were assessment of food intake and behavioural observation. A total of 23.4% of the participants stated that they used the Rabbit Grimace Scale. Overall, 24.5% of the 110 veterinarians who performed ovariohysterectomies in rabbits reported no use of preoperative analgesia; however, 95.5% administered multimodal analgesia in the pre- and intraoperative phases combined and 60.0% administered analgesia postoperatively. The most commonly mentioned drug combination pre- and postoperatively was metamizole and meloxicam. Opioids and local anaesthetics were used less frequently. Limitations The survey had a small sample size and notable selection bias, with 90.3% female participants. Conclusion Respondents used different indicators to detect pain in rabbits. Analgesic therapy in ovariohysterectomies, as reported by participants, can be considered suboptimal in several cases.