The Modified Glasgow Pain Scale (MGCS) was developed for dogs in acute pain (surgical, medical, inflammatory or traumatic) and was designed as a clinical decision-making tool. It was constructed using psychometric methods and has been shown to be valid, reliable and responsive to clinical change in a range of clinical settings.
| Assessment | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Observe dog in Kennel/Cage | ||
| A1 | ||
| Quiet | 0 | |
| Crying or Whimpering | 1 | |
| Groaning | 2 | |
| Screaming | 3 | |
| A2 | ||
| Ignoring any wound or painful area | 0 | |
| Looking at wound or painful area | 5 | |
| Licking wound or painful area | 2 | |
| Rubbing wound or painful area | 3 | |
| Chewing wound or painful area | 4 | |
| In cases of spinal, pelvic or multiple limb fractures, or where assistance is required to aid locomotion do not include section B.
Don't Include Section B |
||
| B Put lead on dog and lead out of the kennel. Observe how dog rises/walks. | ||
| Normal | 0 | |
| Lame | 1 | |
| Slow or Reluctant | 2 | |
| Stiff | 3 | |
| Refuses to Move | 4 | |
| C If dog has a wound or painful area including the abdomen, apply gentle pressure ~ 2 inches around the site. How does it react? | ||
| Does nothing | 0 | |
| Looks Around | 1 | |
| Flinches | 2 | |
| Growls or guards area | 3 | |
| Snaps | 4 | |
| Cry's | 5 | |
| D Overall | ||
| D1 Is the Dog? | ||
| Happy and content or happy and bouncy | 0 | |
| Quiet | 1 | |
| Indifferent or non-responsive to surroundings | 2 | |
| Nervous or anxious or fearful | 3 | |
| Depressed or non-responsive to stimulation | 4 | |
| D2 Is the Dog? | ||
| Comfortable | 0 | |
| Unsettled | 1 | |
| Restless | 2 | |
| Hunched or Tense | 3 | |
| Rigid | 4 | |
| MGPS Total Score | ||
| Assessment | ||
| If Total Score ≥ 5 (A + B + C + D) | Administer Analgesics | |
| If Total Score ≥ 4 (A + C + D) | Administer Analgesics | |
Reid, Jacky & Nolan, Andrea & Hughes, Lynne & Lascelles, B Duncan X & Pawson, P & Scott, E.Marian. (2007). Development of the short-form Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS-SF) and derivation of an analgesic intervention score. Anim Welf Suppl. 1.
The Glasgow Feline Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS-Feline), which can be applied quickly and reliably in a clinical setting, has been designed as a clinical decision making tool f o r u s e i n cats in acute pain. It includes 28 descriptor options within 7 behavioral categories.
| Assessment | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Observe Cat in its Cage | ||
| 1 Question 1 | ||
| Silent / purring / meowing | 0 | |
| Crying/growling / groaning | 1 | |
| 2 Question 2 | ||
| Relaxed | 0 | |
| Licking lips | 1 | |
| Restless/cowering at back of cage | 2 | |
| Tense/crouched | 3 | |
| Rigid/hunched | 4 | |
| 3 Question 3 | ||
| Ignoring any wound or painful area | 0 | |
| Attention to wound | 1 | |
| 4 Question 4 | ||
| ALook at the caricatures. Choose the one which best depicts the cat’s ear position? | ||
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0
1
2
|
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| B Look at the shape of the muzzle in the caricatures. Choose the one which depicts that of the cat? | ||
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0
1
2
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| Approach the cage. Call the cat by name and stroke along its back from head to tail. | ||
| 5 Question 5 | ||
| Respond to stroking | 0 | |
| Unresponsive | 1 | |
| Aggressive | 2 | |
| If cat has a wound or painful area, apply gentle pressure ~ 5cm around site. In the absence of a painful area, apply similar pressure around a hind limb above the knee. | ||
| 6 Question 6 | ||
| Does Nothing | 0 | |
| Swishes tail/Flattens ears | 1 | |
| Cry's/Hisses | 2 | |
| Growls | 3 | |
| Bites/Lashes out | 4 | |
| 7 Question 7 | ||
| Happy and content | 0 | |
| Disinterested/Quiet | 1 | |
| Anxious/Fearful | 2 | |
| Dull | 3 | |
| Depressed/grumpy | 4 | |
| MGPS Total Score | ||
| Assessment | ||
| If Total Score ≥ 5 | Administer Analgesics | |
Reid, J. et al. (2017) Definitive Glasgow acute pain scale for cats: validation and intervention level. Veterinary Record, 180 (18), pp. 449-452