If an animal used in experiments was given pain-relieving drugs, which USDA pain category would describe this?

If an animal used in experiments was given pain-relieving drugs, which USDA pain category would describe this?

• A. B
• B. C
• C. D
• D. E

Answer: (C)

USDA pain categories describe how much pain a procedure is expected to cause and whether analgesia is used to relieve it. When an animal is given pain-relieving drugs, it means pain is anticipated but managed. This places the procedure in the category that accounts for pain being present but alleviated by analgesia. In other words, pain is recognized as a possibility, and steps are taken to relieve it, rather than leaving the animal untreated or exposing it to unmitigated pain.

USDA pain categories describe how much pain a procedure is expected to cause and whether analgesia is used to relieve it. When an animal is given pain-relieving drugs, it means pain is anticipated but managed. This places the procedure in the category that accounts for pain being present but alleviated by analgesia. In other words, pain is recognized as a possibility, and steps are taken to relieve it, rather than leaving the animal untreated or exposing it to unmitigated pain.