Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Continuous nerve block with surgical drain after dog jaw surgery
By Qiao, Shengwei & Bravo, Verónica Re·Published in Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia·2026·Anaesthesia Department, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of a surgical drain for continuous postoperative trigeminal nerve block in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old male mixed-breed dog had surgery to remove part of his jaw due to cancer. To manage pain after the operation, the vet used a special drain to deliver a local anesthetic (bupivacaine) continuously and to remove any fluid buildup. Thanks to this method, the dog didn't need extra pain medication and was able to eat on his own just four hours after surgery. He went home the next day with oral pain relief medication and showed no signs of discomfort.
People also search for: dog jaw surgery recovery · pain management after dog surgery · bupivacaine for dogs
Abstract
A male, neutered, mixed-breed dog, aged 12 years, was referred for a left mandibulectomy resulting from the recurrence of a squamous cell carcinoma in the vertical ramus of the left mandible. Preoperative pain management consisted of methadone 0.2 mg kgintravenously and an ultrasound-guided trigeminal nerve block with bupivacaine. Intraoperatively, a Jackson-Pratt drain connected to a continuous suction bulb was placed in the vicinity of the trigeminal nerve for postoperative bupivacaine delivery and exudate drainage. Bupivacaine 0.13% was delivered every 4 hours along with subcutaneous meloxicam (0.2 mg kg, followed by 0.1 mg kgevery 24 hours). No opioid rescue analgesia was needed postoperatively based on the short-form Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale. The dog began eating voluntarily 4 hours after surgery without signs of pain or discomfort. The drain was removed after 24 hours and the dog was discharged 24 hours postoperatively with oral meloxicam.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41285666/