Assessment of pain in sheep after rumenotomy according to sedation protocol

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare proximal and distal paravertebral nerve block in terms of subjective pain perception in sheep, using the Modified Melbourne Scale for ruminants as a reference. Ten Canarian breed ewes were selected and evenly divided into two groups of five animals each. The first group underwent a proximal paravertebral nerve block, while the second group received a distal paravertebral nerve block. Subjective pain assessment was performed by measuring physiological variables such as body temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, and heart rate increase, among others. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the two types of blocks only in respiratory rate during the intraoperative phase ad body temperature. In conclusion, the present study suggests that there are no statistically significant differences in subjective pain perception between proximal and distal paravertebral blocks in Canarian sheep.