Postoperative analgesic and sedative effects of carprofen and pethidine in dogs
Lascelles, B.D.; Butterworth, S.J.; Waterman, A.E.
Veterinary Record 134(8): 187-191
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0042-4900 PMID: 8171793 Document Number: 425574
40 dogs undergoing a variety of orthopaedic surgical procedures were randomly assigned to one of 2 analgesic protocols, receiving either pethidine at 2 mg/kg pre-operatively and 3 mg/kg postoperatively, or carprofen, a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug at 4 mg/kg pre-operatively. Analgesia and sedation were assessed after the operations under double blind conditions using a discontinuous scoring system and a visual analogue scale. There was good agreement between the 2 scoring systems, and a statistical analysis of the visual analogue scores showed that carprofen provided slightly better pain relief than pethidine and produced less sedation. Carprofen provided good analgesia during the 18 h the dogs were in hospital and no adverse side effects were observed.