Distinguish between acute and chronic pain in animal research and how each should be managed.

• A. Acute pain is brief and procedure-related; chronic pain persists
• B. Acute pain is long-lasting and chronic pain is brief
• C. Both require no analgesia
• D. Only chronic pain requires humane intervention

Answer: (A)

Acute pain is the immediate, short-term sensation that follows a procedure or injury; in animal research it is expected to resolve as healing occurs, so management focuses on preventing pain around the time of the procedure and providing prompt analgesia with reassessment during recovery. Chronic pain, by contrast, lasts beyond the normal healing window and may reflect ongoing disease or injury; it requires longer-term, often multimodal analgesia, regular welfare assessment, and consideration of adjustments or humane endpoints if pain cannot be adequately controlled. The correct distinction guides care: treat acute pain promptly and plan for resolution, while recognizing that chronic pain needs sustained intervention and ongoing monitoring. Statements that imply no analgesia is needed or that only chronic pain requires humane intervention do not align with animal welfare standards and proper research practice.