Scoring Pain or Stress in Animals

General Scoring System

This system is designed to give a general overview of the health status of experimental animals. Additional categories will be added according to the specifics of each individual experiment. All those doing experiments involving animals and those assessing the health of those animals should use this system during routine monitoring. All results should be recorded in a binder designated to the PI and kept in the procedures room in the animal unit. This binder will also contain all information pertinent to the experiment, including emergency contact numbers.

Scoring

  1. Normal
  1. Minimal/Mild but noticeable
  1. Moderate to Severe

*** A score of 0, 1 or 4 only must be given. Scores in-between or above these numbers will render the system useless and yield a false evaluation score.

The animal unit staff is always available to give assistance and advice. Please to not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

If the score is 4 or higher, consult with the animal unit group and/or designated experiment representative to have a second scoring done by that person. If the score is still 4 or higher, appropriate steps for treatment or euthanasia may need to be taken.

If the score is 10 or higher, consult with the animal unit group and/or designated experiment representative regarding the appropriate action to be taken (ie- euthanasia or treatment). A score of 10 or higher indicates a significant problem and will require intervention.

NOTE: If treatment or intervention of any kind will render the experiment unusable, please inform animal unit staff at the onset of the experiment. If this is the case, animals which display illness or other problems will be euthanized.

Attitude

  1. BAR (bright, alert/active and responsive)
  1. Burrowing or hiding, quiet but rouses when touched.
  1. No cage exploration when lid is off, burrows/hides, head presses, may or may not vocalize or be unusually aggressive when touched, no nesting, may seem confused/irritated or hyper responsive.

Appearance

  1. Normal
  1. Mild piloerection, mild to moderate dehydration, soft stool
  1. Severe piloerection, moderate to severe dehydration (obvious at first glance), sunken/wasted appearance, diarrhea (moderate to severe can be smelled easily and seen on light coat colors easily), labored breathing, yellowing or whitish looking mucus membranes (skin) colour, animal is hot or cold to the touch.

Gait/Posture

  1. Normal
  1. Mild uncoordination when stimulated, slight hunched posture, slight limp
  1. Obvious ataxia or head tilt, severe hunching, tippy-toeing, favoring of limb/ noticeable limp or paralysis of limb(s)

Weight (post surgical or post experiment)

  1. none or up to 5% weight loss
  1. 6-10% weight loss
  1. 11-15% weight loss

Appetite

  1. normal, eats dry food, evidence or urine and feces on cage bottom, food missing from hopper or floor, jello or supplements gone after 8 hours
  1. no evidence of eating but likes jello or supplements
  1. no interest in food or supplements

In addition to the categories which are given a score, here is a list of things which must also be evaluated on a regular basis. If any of these are noted, please consult with animal unit staff or designated experiment representative for advice on appropriate action to be taken.

  • Sutures dehisce (incision comes open).
  • Check incision/experimental site daily.
  • Skin lesions/sores appear.
  • Porphyrin staining in rats can be none to mild staining around eyes or nostrils (face) but if heavy or noted on paws may indicate a problem.
  • Fighting/scabbing noted or excessive barbering with sores. (If barbering without sores is seen, note on cage card but do not need to inform animal unit staff).
  • Weigh experiment animals weekly or according to needs.
  • Check own animals (minimum) once daily or as often as required depending on experiment and reactions. Have others check your experimental animals occasionally to minimize bias.

*** If any treatments are indicated they must be approved beforehand by the PI in order to assure the treatment will not interfere in any way with the experiment.

This scoring/evaluation system was taken and adapted from the Animal Care and Use Guidelines of the University of Florida.