Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pain and brain activity in dogs given tramadol or morphine
By Kongara, K et al.·Published in New Zealand veterinary journal·2013·a Institute of Veterinary·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of tramadol or morphine in dogs undergoing castration on intra-operative electroencephalogram responses and post-operative pain.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of male dogs undergoing castration were given either tramadol or morphine before surgery to see which pain relief worked better. Both medications were found to provide similar levels of pain relief after the procedure, and none of the dogs needed additional pain medication afterward. The study monitored their brain activity during surgery and found no significant differences in pain scores between the two groups post-operatively. This suggests that both tramadol and morphine are effective options for managing pain in dogs after castration.
People also search for: dog pain relief after surgery · tramadol vs morphine for dogs · post-operative care for dog castration
Abstract
AIM: To compare the effects of pre-operatively administered tramadol with those of morphine on electroencephalographic responses to surgery and post-operative pain in dogs undergoing castration. METHODS: Dogs undergoing castration were treated with either pre-operative morphine (0.5 mg/kg S/C, n = 8) or tramadol (3 mg/kg S/C, n = 8). All dogs also received 0.05 mg/kg acepromazine and 0.04 mg/kg atropine S/C in addition to the test analgesic. Anaesthesia was induced with thiopentone administered I/V to effect and maintained with halothane in oxygen. Respiratory rate, heart rate, end-tidal halothane tension (EtHal) and end-tidal CO2 tension (EtCO2) were monitored throughout surgery. Electroencephalograms (EEG) were recorded continuously using a three electrode montage. Median frequency (F50), total power (Ptot) and 95% spectral edge frequency (F95) derived from EEG power spectra recorded before skin incision (baseline) were compared with those recorded during ligation of the spermatic cords of both testicles. Post-operatively, pain was assessed after 1, 3, 6 and 9 h using the short form of the Glasgow composite measure pain scale (CMPS-SF). RESULTS: Dogs premedicated with tramadol had higher mean F50 (12.2 (SD 0.2) Hz) and lower Ptot (130.39 (SD 12.1) µv(2)) compared with those premedicated with morphine (11.5 (SD 0.2) Hz and 161.8 (SD 15.1) µv(2), respectively; p<0.05) during ligation of testicle 1. There were no differences in EEG responses between the two treatment groups during ligation of testicle 2 (p>0.05). The F95 of the EEG did not differ between the two groups during the ligation of either testicle (p > 0.05). Post-operatively, no significant differences in the CMPS-SF score were found between animals premedicated with tramadol and morphine at any time during the post-operative period. No dog required rescue analgesia. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Tramadol and morphine administered pre-operatively provided a similar degree of post-operative analgesia in male dogs at the doses tested.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23600435/