VNJ Volume 38 (4) August 2023 | Page 26

Appendix B . The CANCRS Rabbit Pain Scale . Reproduced from Banchi et al . [ 38 ]
Orbital tightening ( 0 – 2 )
RbtGS
Cheek flattening ( 0 – 2 ) Nostril shape ( 0 – 2 ) Whisker position ( 0 – 2 ) Ear position ( 0 – 2 )
CANCRS
Pupil dilation ( 0 – 2 ) Heart rate percentage increases – based on 250 beats / min ( 0 – 2 ) Respiratory rate – based on 60 breaths / min ( 0 – 3 )
CPS
Respiratory pattern ( 0 – 1 ) Palpation of the painful area ( 0 – 2 ) Mental status ( 0 – 2 ) Vocalisation ( 0 – 3 )
CANCRS includes the five Facial Action Units of the RbtGS ( see Keating et al . [ 46 ] ) and some clinical parameters ( CPS ). For each parameter , two to four scores were possible . The final score is the total sum of the ones given to each parameter .
Appendix C . Final version of the Bristol Rabbit Pain Scale ( BRPS ). Adapted from Benato et al . [ 18 ] .
Categories
Score 0 1 2 3
Demeanour
The rabbit is looking around , is alert and responsive to the surrounding environment OR the rabbit is asleep .
The rabbit is awake but shows little interest in the surrounding environment .
The rabbit is dull and is not responsive to the observer or surrounding environment .
The rabbit is unresponsive to the observer or surrounding environment even if approached .
Locomotion
The rabbit is active and hopping around the area OR is relaxed or asleep .
The rabbit appears hesitant to move and shows little activity .
The rabbit is inactive and does not move during the observation period , except when approached .
The rabbit is inactive and does not move at all , even when approached .
Posture
The rabbit is resting in a relaxed and comfortable posture e . g . lying on a flank or on its front with its hind legs to the side , or is moving freely OR the rabbit is asleep .
The rabbit is sitting or lying on its front with visible fore legs .
The rabbit is sitting or lying on its front with its legs under its body and appears hunched .
The rabbit is sitting or lying on its front with its legs under its body , and the body looks tense , stiff and hunched OR the rabbit is pressing its abdomen against the ground .
Ears * * Take in consideration that lop-eared rabbits may show less pronounced changes
The rabbit moves its ears freely and turns them towards sounds OR the rabbit is asleep .
The rabbit moves and slightly turns its ears towards sounds .
The rabbit does not obviously move its ears , but reacts slightly to sounds ( e . g . with a head turn ).
The rabbit does not move its ears at all and does not react to sounds OR the ears are flattened against its back .
Eyes
The rabbit has its eyes open OR the rabbit is asleep .
The rabbit keeps its eyes semi-closed .
The rabbit keeps its eyes closed .
The rabbit keeps its eyes closed and tightened .
Grooming
The rabbit is meticulously grooming itself OR the rabbit is asleep .
The rabbit is grooming but gets distracted easily .
The rabbit is attempting grooming , but with little energy .
The rabbit is not grooming at all .
How to use the BRPS
1 ) Observe the rabbit for 3 minutes . 2 ) Then quietly approach the cage before scoring the behaviours described in each category . 3 ) Score each category on a 0 – 3 scale based on the behaviours that the rabbit exhibits for most of the observation . 4 ) Calculate the total score from 0 – 18 .
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