Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Topical epidural morphine reduces pain after dog spine surgery
By Wehrenberg, Aaron et al.·Published in Veterinary therapeutics : research in applied veterinary medicine·2009·Veterinary Specialty Center of Indiana, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of topical epidural morphine for postoperative analgesia following hemilaminectomy in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs undergoing surgery for a slipped disc (Hansen type I disk protrusion) received either a topical application of morphine or saline to help manage pain after their operation. The dogs that received morphine experienced significantly longer pain relief, lasting about 13 hours compared to just over 5 hours for those who got saline. Additionally, the morphine group needed fewer doses of extra pain medication. This method of using morphine could be a helpful option for managing pain in dogs after such surgeries.
People also search for: dog surgery pain relief · morphine for dogs after surgery · hemilaminectomy recovery in dogs
Abstract
A randomized prospective study was conducted in dogs undergoing hemi-laminectomy procedures for Hansen type I disk protrusion to compare postoperative analgesia achieved with topical spinal application of morphine versus saline. An absorbable gelatin sponge was placed in the defect next to the dura and soaked with either preservative-free morphine (0.1 mg/kg) or saline (0.1 ml/kg) just before wound closure. For 48 hours after surgery, dogs were monitored for pain using visual analog and numeric descriptive scales and given rescue analgesia according to study guidelines. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that dogs in the morphine group had a longer (13.3 +/- 3.6 hours) duration of postoperative analgesia than those in the control saline group (5.3 +/- 1.8 hours), and dogs in the morphine group also required fewer doses of additional pain medication. Preservative-free morphine administered topically via an absorbable gelatin sponge appears to be a promising method to alleviate postoperative pain in dogs undergoing hemilaminectomy procedures.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20425732/