Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pain relief after stifle surgery in dogs using joint morphine
By Soto, Natalia et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2014·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Analgesic effect of intra-articularly administered morphine, dexmedetomidine, or a morphine-dexmedetomidine combination immediately following stifle joint surgery in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 44 dogs with torn knee ligaments underwent surgery and received different pain relief treatments directly into their knee joints. Some dogs got a saline solution, while others received morphine, dexmedetomidine, or a combination of both. The dogs that received the morphine-dexmedetomidine combination experienced longer-lasting pain relief compared to those that received just morphine or dexmedetomidine. This means that for dogs recovering from knee surgery, using both medications together can help manage pain more effectively.
People also search for: dog knee surgery pain relief · morphine dexmedetomidine for dogs · post-surgery pain management for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesic effects of intra-articularly administered saline (0.9% NaCl) solution, morphine, dexmedetomidine, and a morphine-dexmedetomidine combination in dogs undergoing stifle joint surgery for cranial cruciate ligament rupture. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, clinical trial. ANIMALS: 44 dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture that underwent tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) or tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO). PROCEDURES: Dogs received intra-articular injections of saline solution (0.2 mL/kg [0.09 mL/lb]), morphine (0.1 mg/kg [0.045 mg/lb]), dexmedetomidine (2.5 μg/kg [1.14 μg/lb]), or a combination of morphine (0.1 mg/kg) and dexmedetomidine (2.5 μg/kg). Intra-articular injections of the stifle joint were performed after completion of the corrective osteotomy procedure, just prior to skin closure. Signs of pain were assessed every 2 hours thereafter on the basis of mean behavioral and objective pain scores. Dogs with pain scores exceeding predetermined thresholds were given hydromorphone (0.05 mg/kg [0.023 mg/lb], SC) as rescue analgesia. RESULTS: Time to rescue analgesia did not significantly differ between dogs that underwent TTA versus TPLO. No significant difference in time to rescue analgesia was found among dogs receiving intra-articular injections of dexmedetomidine (median, 6 hours; range, 2 to 10 hours), morphine (median, 7 hours; range, 4 to 10 hours), or saline solution (median, 5 hours; range, 4 to 10 hours). However, time to rescue analgesia for dogs receiving intra-articular injection of the morphine-dexmedetomidine combination (median, 10 hours; range, 6 to 14 hours) was significantly longer than the time to rescue analgesia for other treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Intra-articular administration of the morphine-dexmedetomidine combination provided longer-lasting postoperative analgesia, compared with either morphine or dexmedetomidine alone, in dogs undergoing TTA or TPLO.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24846429/