We aimed to validate the CMPS-SF according to COSMIN and GRADE guidelines. Four trained evaluators assessed 208 videos (pre-operative-M1, peak of pain-M2, 1 h after the peak of pain and analgesia (rescue)-M3, and 24 h post-extubation-M4) of 52 dogs, divided into negative controls (n = 10), soft tissue surgeries (n = 22), and orthopedic surgeries (n = 20). The videos were randomized and blinded as to when they were filmed, and were evaluated in two stages, 21 days apart. According to confirmatory analysis, the CMPS-SF is a unidimensional scale. Intra-observer reliability was between 0.80 and 0.99 and inter-observer reliability between 0.73 and 0.86. Criterion validity was confirmed by the correlation between the CMPS-SF and other unidimensional scales (≥0.7). The differences between the scores were M2 ≥ M3 > M4 > M1 (responsiveness), and the scale presented construct validity (higher postoperative pain scores in dogs undergoing surgery versus control). Internal consistency was 0.7 (Cronbach’s α) and 0.77 (McDonald’s ω), and the item-total correlation was between 0.3 and 0.7, except for “A(ii)—Attention to wound”. Specificity and sensitivity were 78–87% and 74–83%, respectively. The cut-off point for rescue analgesia was ≥5 or ≥4 excluding item B(iii) mobility, and the GRADE classification was high, confirming the validity of the scale.

Introduction: With the growing number of veterinary centers performing pacemaker implantation in small animals, a better understanding of anesthetic management of these procedures has become essential. Most available studies focus primarily on surgical techniques, with limited discussion of anesthetic safety, efficacy, and intraoperative complications. Materials and methods: Eighteen anesthetic procedures for transvenous pacemaker implantation were retrospectively reviewed in dogs treated at a veterinary referral center in São Paulo, Brazil, between 2024 and 2025. All dogs underwent clinical and laboratory evaluation, electrocardiography and/or Holter monitoring, and echocardiography. Continuous intraoperative monitoring included heart rate, electrocardiography, respiratory rate, end-tidal CO ₂ , oxygen saturation, temperature, and invasive or non-invasive arterial blood pressure. Collected data included age, breed, sex, anesthetic protocol, clinical conditions, intraoperative events, and outcomes. Continuous variables were expressed as mean ± SD or median (range) according to data distribution assessed by the Shapiro–Wilk test. Group comparisons were performed using Student's t-test or Mann–Whitney U test, and categorical variables were analyzed using chi-square or Fisher's exact test ( p < 0.05). Results: Sixteen dogs (8 males and 8 females) underwent 18 anesthetic procedures, including two reinterventions. The main indication for pacemaker implantation was third-degree atrioventricular block (75%). Anesthetic protocols were individualized according to patient comorbidities. The most frequent anesthetic complication was hypotension (27.7%), successfully managed with fluid therapy and vasoactive support. Electrode migration occurred in 11% of procedures and required reintervention. No perioperative deaths were recorded. Discussion and conclusion: Transvenous pacemaker implantation in dogs was successfully performed under individualized anesthetic management despite heterogeneous clinical conditions and absence of a standardized protocol. Hypotension was the most common anesthetic complication but was effectively treated. The routine use of temporary external pacing provided an essential safety margin for maintaining perioperative hemodynamic stability. No perioperative deaths were recorded. These findings support the feasibility and safety of tailored anesthetic strategies for canine pacemaker implantation, although prospective studies with larger populations are warranted to define optimal standardized protocols.

Introduction: Balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty (BPV) is the most common interventional procedure for treating severe pulmonic stenosis (PS) in dogs. Due to the cardiovascular compromise associated with PS, anaesthetic management must be carefully planned to ensure patient safety. Objectives: To describe the anaesthetic protocols, perioperative complications, and clinical outcomes of dogs with severe PS undergoing BPV. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was performed for 21 dogs with severe pulmonic stenosis (echocardiographic pressure gradient > 80 mmHg) that underwent balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty between 2024 and 2025. Anaesthetic protocols were individualized based on cardiovascular assessment. Data were analyzed descriptively, and statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (version 25). A significance level of p < 0.05 was adopted. Results: Twenty-one dogs were included, with a median age of 18 months (range: 3–84) and median body weight of 7.75 kg (range: 2.2–26). French Bulldogs were the most common breed (33.3%). Syncope (42.9%) and fatigue (38.1%) were the most frequent clinical signs. Anaesthetic induction was predominantly performed using etomidate–midazolam–based protocols (95%), and anaesthesia was maintained with mainly isoflurane combined with intravenous adjuncts. Hypotension (MAP < 65 mmHg) was the most common intraoperative complication, occurring in 66.7% of dogs, frequently requiring vasoactive support. Cardiac arrhythmias, including ventricular arrhythmias and bradyarrhythmia’s, were also observed. Balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty resulted in a significant reduction in right ventricular pressure gradient in 90% of cases. Conclusion: Balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty effectively reduced right ventricular pressure in dogs with severe pulmonic stenosis. Anaesthetic management was heterogeneous, with frequent use of etomidate- and benzodiazepine-based induction and inhalant anaesthesia combined with intravenous adjuncts. Intraoperative hemodynamic instability and arrhythmias were common, reinforcing the need for individualized anaesthetic planning and vigilant perioperative monitoring.

Unesp-Botucatu sheep acute pain scale (USAPS) was validated for assessing postoperative abdominal pain. We aimed to investigate the clinical applicability and test the psychometric properties of USAPS to assess postoperative pain in sheep submitted to orthopedic surgery. Twenty-three healthy sheep undergoing patellofemoral joint arthrotomy were video-recorded for three minutes before and after surgery, after postoperative analgesic rescue, and 24 hours post-surgery. Four evaluators, unaware of the recording time points, randomly assessed all videos twice at one-month intervals. Intra-observer reliability based on the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was very good for all evaluators (ICC: 0.82–0.93). Inter-observer reliability was very good for four of six pairs of evaluators (ICC: 0.84–0.9) and good for two (ICC: 0.77 and 0.80). Principal component analyses and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the USAPS´s unidimensional structure. The concurrent criterion validity had a strong Spearman correlation (rho: 0.80) between the USAPS and the Visual Analogue Scale. Responsiveness was evidenced by the highest USAPS total score 2 and 24 hours after surgery, and intermediate scores after analgesic rescue. USAPS items had an acceptable Spearman item-total correlation (rho: 0.38–0.64), except appetite (rho: 0.25). Internal consistency was excellent according to Cronbach’s alpha (α: 0.84) and acceptable according to McDonald’s omega coefficients (ω: 0.75). Specificity was 100% and sensitivity was 71%. USAPS cut-off point was ≥ 4 of 10, the same applied for soft tissue surgery. The area under the curve of 0.91 demonstrates the high discriminatory capacity of the scale. The item appetite can be excluded without affecting the USAPS cut-off point. We concluded that USAPS had satisfactory psychometric properties and, is a valid and reliable clinical tool for assessing pain in sheep undergoing orthopedic surgery.

To investigate the reproducibility and diagnostic accuracy of the Unesp-Botucatu Feline Pain Scale short form (UFEPS-SF) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) among untrained laypersons, cat owners, veterinary students and experienced veterinarians. Blind and randomized. Videos of 10 female cats. Three self-declared female and three male raters were included per group of experienced veterinarians, students, cat owners and laypersons (n = 24). Participants assessed 40 videos of female cats that underwent ovariohysterectomy: preoperative, postoperative, post-rescue analgesia, and 24 hours postoperatively. A multilevel generalized linear model followed by Bonferroni post hoc test was used to evaluate differences in UFEPS-SF scores between groups. Interobserver agreement was calculated by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between pairs of observers within each group. Area under the curve (AUC) for the receiver operating characteristic curves, specificity (no pain) and sensitivity (pain) were calculated. ICC for UFEPS-SF was higher for veterinarians and students than for laypersons and cat owners, although all results were very good (≥0.81). Reliability of the VAS was very good for experienced observers only. Females assigned higher median scores than males only at 24 hours postoperatively. UFEPS-SF specificity [confidence interval (CI)] and sensitivity (CI) were 0.83-1 (0.7-1) and 0.98-1 (0.91-1), respectively, and diagnostic accuracy [AUC (CI)] was excellent across all groups [0.99-1 (0.97-1)], with no significant differences between groups. The predictive capacity (AUC) of the VAS followed the order: experienced > students > cat owners = laypersons. VAS AUC values were lower than those of UFEPS-SF. The UFEPS-SF can be reliably used by untrained laypersons, cat owners and students with no experience to identify acute postoperative pain in cats. The reproducibility, sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of the VAS were suboptimal and inferior to those of the UFEPS-SF, except among experienced observers.