Requirements for the Use of Post-operative Analgesia in Rodents - Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee, Yale University

Yale University
Institutional Animal Care
& Use Committee
New Haven CT
USA 06510

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Yale University Requirements for Post-Operative
Analgesia in Rodents

Procedure Category

Representative Types of Procedure

Minimum Analgesic Requirements*

Level 1

Thoracotomy, Laparotomy; Orthopedic (including cranial procedures), Limb Amputation

Pre-emptive** injection of an NSAID*** or Buprenorphine, then an NSAID in the drinking water for 48 hrs post-operatively

Level 2

Tail Biopsy (>21 days age), Digit Amputation (mice >12 days age, rats > 7 days age), Skin incision +/- Major tissue manipulation or Vessel cannulation or Punch Biopsy

An NSAID in the drinking water for 48 hrs post-operatively

* Procedures that are anticipated to be moderately to severely painful will require repeated injections of analgesics (ie. buprenorphine every 6-12 hours) for at least 48 hours, rather than a single pre-emptive dose followed by an NSAID in the drinking water. These more painful procedures and specific analgesic requirements will be determined on a case-by-case basis during IACUC protocol review.

** Pre-emptive is defined as SQ, IM or IP analgesic administration shortly (ie. up to 30 minutes) before making an incision or other painful procedure.

***Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug

Recommended Doses for Mice and Rats:

Opoids:
Buprenorphine (Buprenex *TM):*
	0.05-0.1 mg/kg IM, IP, SQ (every 6-12 hours, if repeated injections required)
NSAIDS:
Meloxicam (Metacam *TM ):*
	0.3-1.0 mg/kg IM, IP, SQ (every 24 hours, if repeated injections required)
Drinking water dose:
Mice	1.7 ug/ml (0.3 mg/kg/day), Mice: Oral Administration of Meloxicam (Metacam®) for Analgesia SOP
Rats	10.89 ug/ml (1.0 mg/kg/day) Rats: Oral Administration of Meloxicam (Metacam ®) for Analgesia SOP
Carprofen (Rimadyl *TM ) or Ketoprofen (Ketofen TM ):*
	5 mg/kg IM, IP, SQ (every 24 hours, if repeated injections required)
Drinking water dose:
Mice	27 ug/ml (5 mg/kg/day), Mice: Oral Administration of Carprofen (Rimadyl®) for Analgesia SOP
Rats	50 ug/ml (5 mg/kg/day) Rats: Oral Administration of Carprofen (Rimadyl ®) for Analgesia SOP
Ibuprofen (Advil TM , Nuprin TM , Motrin TM ):
Drinking water dose:
Mice	0.11 mg/ml (30 mg/kg/day), Mice: Oral Administration of Ibuprofen for Analgesia SOP
Rats	0.15 mg/ml (15 mg/kg/day) Rats: Oral Administration of Ibuprofen for Analgesia SOP

Dosages for other Rodents Species and un-weaned pups will be recommended by VCS on a case-by-case basis during protocol review

Use injectable form of Meloxicam to formulate drinking water; Meloxicam suspension does not dissolve well in water

Carprofen is light-sensitive – dark bottles available from YARC

References

Hayes KE, Raucci FA, Gades NM , Toth LA. 2000. An evaluation of analgesic regimens for abdominal surgery in mice. Contemp Top Lab Anim Sci 39:18-23.

Liles and Flecknell. 1992. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the relief of pain in laboratory rodents and rabbits. Lab Anim 26:241-55.

Roughan JV, Flecknell PA. 2000. Effects of surgery and analgesic administration on spontaneous behavior in singly housed rats. ResVet Sci 69:283-8.

Roughan JV, Flecknell PA. 2001. Behavioral effects of laparotomy and analgesic effects of ketoprofen and carprofen in rats. Pain 90:65-74.

Roughan JV, Flecknell PA. 2003. Evaluation of a short duration behaviour-based post-operative pain scoring system in rats. Eur J Pain 7:397-406.

Roughan JV; Flecknell PA. 2004. Behavior-based assessment of the duration of laparotomy-induced abdominal pain and the analgesic effects of carprofen and buprenorphine in rats. Beh Pharm 15: 461-472

Stewart LSA, Martin WJ. 2003. Evaluation of postoperative analgesia in a rat model of incisional pain. Contemp Top Lab Anim Sci 42:28-34.

REVISION REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE IACUC: 4/19/06