Anaesthesia and Analgesia in calves, goats, sheep and pigs for biomedical research

In context of calves, goats, sheep and pigs destined for biomedical research, the pharmacopeia allows a much broader choice of compounds and techniques than for animals entering the food chain. Also the perioperative care of animals used for biomedical research can be enhanced by selecting more potent analgesics. Ruminants and swine have their own characteristics and the management of the rumination cycle, pain scoring and behavioural assessment during and after a surgery which is a key parameter to control for a successful procedure. This requires trained personal, able to demonstrate competency in handling, anaesthetising and monitoring animals with care and minimal welfare cost. The aim of this working group is to review existing recommendations in veterinary (and medical) anaesthesia and analgesia and find clear and well defined guidelines on how to breach the gaps between good farm animal care and high-standard research requirements when performing anaesthesia and analgesia in calves, goats, sheep and pigs in the laboratory.