Anesthesia and Analgesia Recommended for Painful Procedures in Small Animals

Abstract

The non-invasive but painful and invasive procedures are frequently performed in experimental animal studies, such as blood withdrawal, route of administration, and surgical procedures. Most of these procedures commonly conducted under anesthesia and/or analgesia and should be complied with the ethical requirements. However, pain is difficult to assess in animals, therefore, it is advisable to provide the analgesics pre-emptively or if painful condition is expected. Preanesthetic like tranquilizer is generally used to reduce the stress in animal and further it also aids in the smooth induction of anesthesia and recovery. In view of this, the objective is to demonstrate and discuss the guidelines of anesthesia and analgesia in small animals, especially mouse and rat with principal focus to ethical purview. These guidelines can be applicable to the animal house facility, pharmacology laboratory, and to a large extent for veterinary care.