The study was conducted in 12 non-descript bitches to investigate the postoperative behaviour for assessing postoperative pain in dogs after elective ovario-hysterectomy. Sedation score and pain score were measured using quantitative behavioural measurements. Surgery resulted in an increase in pain score, sedation score and time spent by sleeping. During interactions, greeting behaviours and overall activity were decreased after surgery. This study describes observations of the incidence and nature of the changes of behaviour of dogs recovering from elective surgeries, and subjective assessments of the degree of pain.
