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Behavior after ovariohysterectomy in the dog: what's normal?

By E. M. Hardie, B. D. Hansen, G. S. Carroll

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Twenty dogs were anaesthetized, but did not undergo surgery (control group). 22 dogs underwent laparotomy and ovariohysterectomy (surgery group). Dogs in the control and surgery groups were further assigned on a random basis to either oxymorphone or placebo groups (group O or P). Dogs in group O received oxymorphone (2.5 mg/msuperscript 2, i.m.) as a pre-anaesthetic and 6, 12 and 18 h later, while dogs in group P received isovolumetric doses of sterile saline. The dogs were videotaped for 24 h after anaesthesia, during which time a handler interacted with the dog once each hour. At each interaction the handler recorded a sedation and a pain score, using a numerical scoring system. Interactive and non-interactive behaviour was observed and quantitated by a single observer using the videotapes. Surgery resulted in an increase in pain score, sedation score and time spent sleeping. During interactions with caregivers, greeting behaviours were decreased after surgery. Differences between surgery group dogs given analgesics and those given placebo drugs were readily measured using quantitative behavioural measurements, but were not apparent using the numerical scoring system.

Date 1997
Publication Title Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Volume 51
Issue 1/2
Pages 111-128
ISBN/ISSN 0168-1591
DOI 10.1016/S0168-1591(96)01078-7
Language English
Cite this work

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

  1. Analgesia
  2. Animal behavior
  3. Animal Treatment and Diagnosis (Non-Drug)
  4. Animal welfare
  5. Behavior and behavior mechanisms
  6. Carnivores
  7. Dogs
  8. Hysterectomy
  9. Mammals
  10. ovariectomy
  11. Ovariohysterectomy
  12. Pain
  13. pain relief
  14. peer-reviewed
  15. Postoperative Period
  16. surgery
  1. peer-reviewed