Table 5.
Annual caseloads of selected surgeries and medical conditions in pigs, the associated usage of analgesics, and ratings of pain if no analgesic were given
| Surgery or medical condition | Number of vets who reported seeing cases | Mean (s)a caseload per vet per year | Mean (95% CI)b percent of vets providing analgesia to some or all cases | Mean (95% CI)b percent of animals receiving analgesia | Analgesic drugs administered most commonly (%) | Mean (95% CI)b pain level, from 1 to 10, if no analgesic given |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castration up to 3 weeks of age | 21 | 24 535 (75 027) | 11.1 (0–25.0) | < 0.001 (0) | Xylazine (20) Lidocaine (20) | 4.7 (3.9–5.5) |
| Inguinal hernia repair | 52 | 94.5 (326.5) | 85.5 (75.7–95.4) | 46.3 (44.9–47.7) | Lidocaine (30) Ketamine (25) | 7.0 (6.4–7.7) |
| Ear notching | 2 | 250 000 (353 553) | 0 | 0 | N/A | 3.2 (1.6–4.8) |
| Tail docking | 5 | 156 001 (218 928) | 0 | 0 | N/A | 4.6 (3.4–5.7) |
| Cesarean section | 19 | 3.9 (4.5) | 100 | 100 | Lidocaine (47) Ketamine (15) | 7.6 (6.3–8.9) |
| Chronic lameness (sows) | 31 | 251.8 (601.7) | 65.2 (49.1–81.4) | 84.9 (84.3–85.6) | Ketprofen (24) Flunixin (21) | 5.4 (4.9–6.0) |
a
s = standard deviation
b
CI = confidence interval