Veterinarians involved in laboratory animal medicine and research oversight play a critical role in recognizing and managing pain in research animals. Pain in these settings can arise from experimental procedures, disease models, and husbandry practices, yet it is often underrecognized and inconsistently treated, with important implications for both animal welfare and scientific outcomes. This session reviews the concepts of sentience, pain perception, and pain pathways, and examines the ethical and regulatory responsibilities guiding pain management in research environments. It highlights common challenges in identifying pain across species and emphasizes practical, evidence-based approaches to assessment, including behavioral, physiological, and facial expression indicators. It also outlines multimodal pain management strategies, incorporating both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic options, and introduces structured frameworks for developing consistent pain mitigation plans. Come away with an understanding of the veterinarian’s essential role in improving animal welfare while supporting high-quality, reproducible research.

.5 CE Credit
Free for AVMA/SAVMA Members
$15 Non-members