Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pregabalin pain relief after dog spinal disc surgery study
By Schmierer, Philipp A et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2020·Clinic for Small Animal Surgery·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Randomized controlled trial of pregabalin for analgesia after surgical treatment of intervertebral disc disease in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 46 dogs undergoing surgery for intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) received either a common pain medication (opioids) or a combination of opioids and pregabalin, which is another pain reliever. The dogs that received pregabalin showed significantly less pain after surgery, with lower pain scores and improved sensitivity to touch around the surgical area. This suggests that adding pregabalin to the pain management plan can help dogs recover more comfortably after surgery for IVDD.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of perioperative pregabalin on pain behavior in dogs after intervertebral disc surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial with a blinded observer. ANIMALS: Forty-six client-owned dogs undergoing intervertebral disc surgery. METHODS: Dogs were randomly assigned to two groups, with the placebo group receiving opioids alone and the pregabalin group receiving opioids plus pregabalin. Opioid analgesia consisted of 0.6 mg/kg l-methadone given intravenously at anesthetic induction, followed by 0.2 mg/kg given at 8, 16, and 24 hours after extubation and fentanyl patches applied at the end of surgery. Pregabalin was given orally (4 mg/kg) 1 hour before anesthesia, followed by postoperative treatment three times per day (4 mg/kg) for 5 days. The outcome measures were the treatment-group differences in peri-incisional mechanical sensitivity and Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS-SF) assessed during the first 5 postoperative days. Pregabalin serum concentrations were measured after 24, 72, and 120 hours. RESULTS: Pregabalin reduced pain levels in the treatment group by a mean of 2.5 CMPS-SF units (95% confidence interval [CI] = -3.19 to -1.83, P < .001) compared with the control group during the study period. Pregabalin increased the mechanical nociceptive threshold by a mean of 6.89 N per day (95% CI = 1.87-11.92, P < .001) and of 7.52 N per day (95% CI = 2.29-12.77, P < .001) during the study period, depending on location. Mean levels of serum pregabalin were 5.1, 4.71, and 3.68 μg/mL at 24, 72, and 120 hours postoperatively, respectively. CONCLUSION: Postoperative signs of pain after surgical treatment of intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH) were reduced when dogs received perioperative pregabalin rather than opioids alone. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Perioperative pregabalin reduces postoperative pain after surgical treatment of IVDH.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32329092/