Preliminary comparison of two common NSAIDs (carprofen and meloxicam) for post‑surgical pain management in female rabbits undergoing ovariectomy

The presence of pain in rabbits leads to increased recovery times, stress, decreased gastrointestinal motility with reduced appetite and fecal output . NSAIDS such as meloxicam and carprofen have analgesic effects and are commonly used after elective surgical procedures; although meloxicam is a well-tested NSAID in rabbits, carprofen has been evaluated to a lesser extent. The aim of this study was the comparison between the post-operative effects of meloxicam and carprofen after ovariectomy in rabbits. 16 mixed-breed domestic rabbits, undergoing elective ovariectomy, were included in this study and divided in 2 Groups, consisting of 8 subjects each. The NSAIDs were post-operatively administered for three days, SQ SID: Group M, 1 mg/kg meloxicam; Group C, 2 mg/kg carprofen. Rabbits were evaluated using CANCRS at 5 time points (T0: baseline, T1-T4: respectively, 6 h after surgery and at 9 am, 1.30 pm, and 6 pm the day after). Also, time of spontaneous feeding and fecal output after recovery were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed with R (v. 4.3.0), considering a significance level of p<0.05. Anova for repeated measures with Bonferroni post-hoc test was used for the analysis of the CANCRS score over time; Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparisons of CANCRS final scores and for times of spontaneous feeding and fecal output between Groups. The absence of differences in final scores between Groups suggests that both NSAIDs had similar effects in alleviating post-operative pain, although maximum time to fecal output was shorter in group C. The greater final score for CANCRS was at T1: however, it was beneath the score indicating pain during rabbit gastrointestinal syndrome. Meloxicam and carprofen are therefore both suitable alternatives for postsurgical pain management in female rabbits undergoing ovariectomy.