A simple method for assessing analgesic requirements and efficacy in rodents.

Evaluation of pain in the clinical setting is an ongoing challenge for veterinarians, researchers and IACUCs. Behavioral assessment, a common technique for evaluating pain, is subjective and difficult to translate into quantifiable data. The authors propose measuring changes in body weight, food consumption and water consumption as a simple and objective method for evaluating postsurgical pain and analgesic efficacy in rodents.