Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pain relief comparison for cats after neutering surgery
By Moser, Kira Lm et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2020·Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A randomized clinical trial comparing butorphanol and buprenorphine within a multimodal analgesic protocol in cats undergoing orchiectomy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 47 male cats undergoing neutering surgery received either butorphanol or buprenorphine as part of their pain management plan. Both medications provided effective pain relief, with no significant differences in how quickly the cats recovered or started eating after surgery. However, more cats in the buprenorphine group needed additional anesthesia during the procedure compared to those receiving butorphanol. Overall, both treatments worked well, but butorphanol seemed to provide better anesthesia support.
People also search for: cat neutering pain relief · butorphanol vs buprenorphine for cats · cat surgery recovery time
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of butorphanol and buprenorphine, as part of a multimodal analgesic protocol, on recovery and analgesia in cats undergoing orchiectomy. METHODS: In a prospective, randomized, blind clinical trial, 47 adult male cats were randomly assigned to receive either butorphanol (0.3 mg/kg, n = 24) or buprenorphine (0.02 mg/kg, n = 23) in combination with dexmedetomidine (25 μg/kg) and alfaxalone (2 mg/kg) as a single intramuscular injection for the induction of general anesthesia. Isoflurane carried in oxygen was supplemented as needed during orchiectomy. All cats received lidocaine (2 mg/kg intratesticular), meloxicam (0.3 mg/kg SC) and atipamezole (125 μg/kg IM) postoperatively. Pain and sedation scales were applied at baseline, and 2, 4 and 6 h postoperatively. Time to achieve sternal recumbency and to begin eating were also recorded. RESULTS: Pain scale scores were low and showed no difference between the treatment groups at all time points (⩾0.99, all time points). Four cats exceeded the analgesia intervention threshold for rescue analgesia (butorphanol, n = 3; buprenorphine, n = 1). There was no difference in sedation scores between groups at any time point (>0.99, all time points). Significantly more cats in the buprenorphine group (n = 12) required isoflurane than in the butorphanol group (n = 2) ( = 0.0013; relative risk 6.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8-23.5). There was no significant difference in time to achieve sternal recumbency ( = 0.96, 95% CI -20 to 20) between groups or in return to eating ( = 0.48, 95% CI -92.0 to 113.5), with most cats eating within 1 h of surgery (butorphanol, 79%; buprenorphine, 83%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: There were no significant differences in analgesia or recovery between butorphanol and buprenorphine treatment groups as part of a multimodal injectable anesthetic protocol. Butorphanol is associated with superior depth of anesthesia, facilitating injectable anesthesia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31697181/