Safe anaesthesia guidance is well established for humans and for rodents, but until recently there was no equivalent guidance for laboratory pigs, sheep, goats and cattle. The new FELASA working group guidelines address this gap by setting out recommended standards for behavioural preparation and restraint, general anaesthetic principles, intraoperative monitoring, and pain assessment in these four species.
This webinar brings those guidelines into practice. Built entirely around questions submitted by the audience in advance, the session will explore the real challenges of anaesthetising large animals in research: what best practice looks like, where evidence is still limited, and how high standards can be achieved even when resources are constrained.
Learning outcomes
- Use behavioural preparation and humane restraint to reduce stress
- Select appropriate anaesthetic and analgesic protocols for pigs, sheep, goats and cattle
- Interpret monitoring data and pain signs in these species
- Manage recovery and post-procedural care to protect welfare and data quality
- Apply FELASA tiered standards when resources are limited
Key takeaways
- Large animals need species-specific anaesthesia guidance
- Behavioural preparation is part of good anaesthesia
- Protocols must reflect species differences in physiology and pain expression
- Good monitoring is possible even in modest facilities
- Clear standards support sound decisions under real-world constraints