Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urinary retention risk after epidural opioids in dogs with cruciate
By Peterson, Nathan W et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2014·Department of Critical Care·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Effect of epidural analgesia with opioids on the prevalence of urinary retention in dogs undergoing surgery for cranial cruciate ligament rupture.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 179 dogs undergoing surgery for a torn knee ligament (cranial cruciate ligament rupture) was studied to see if using epidural pain relief with morphine would cause urinary retention (difficulty urinating) after surgery. The results showed that giving morphine through the epidural did not lead to significant urinary retention, but using another opioid, hydromorphone, given through an IV after surgery was linked to more cases of urinary retention. This suggests that while epidural morphine is safe in this regard, other pain medications may cause issues with urination.
People also search for: dog knee surgery recovery · urinary retention in dogs after surgery · epidural pain relief for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether epidural administration of opioids was associated with clinically important urinary retention in dogs undergoing elective orthopedic procedures. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. ANIMALS: 179 client-owned dogs undergoing elective surgery for cranial cruciate ligament rupture. PROCEDURES: Medical records of 179 dogs that underwent surgical correction for cranial cruciate rupture between January 2009 and October 2012 were reviewed; 120 received epidural administration of opioids and 59 did not. Signalment, type of procedure, administration of epidural analgesia, time to first postanesthetic urination, and number of urinations during the first 24 hours were evaluated and compared between groups. RESULTS: Administration of preservative-free morphine into the epidural space was not significantly associated with time to first urination following anesthetic recovery or the total number of urinations within the first 24 hours of anesthetic recovery. Administration of a hydromorphone bolus IV following surgery was significantly associated with urinary retention, compared with administration of either morphine boluses or fentanyl constant rate infusions following surgery. No other variables were significantly associated with urinary retention. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Administration of preservative-free morphine into the epidural space was not associated with clinically important urinary retention in dogs undergoing elective orthopedic procedures. Systemic administration of opioids may be associated with urinary retention.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24697770/