• Rafael DeRossi, Fabrício O Frazílio, Paulo H A Jardim, Alessandro R C Martins, Rafaella Schmidt, and João M Negrini-Neto.
• Department of Veterinary Medicine, Surgery and Anesthesiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. derossi@nin.ufms.br
• Am. J. Vet. Res. 2011 Dec 1; 72 (12): 1580-5.

ObjectiveTo determine the analgesic and systemic effects of thoracic epidural administration of ketamine, lidocaine, or both in conscious dogs.Animals6 adult mixed-breed dogs.ProceduresEach dog received 2% lidocaine hydrochloride without epinephrine (3.8 mg/kg), 5% ketamine hydrochloride (3.0 mg/kg), or both in randomized order with ≥ 1 week between treatments. Drugs were administered in a total volume of 0.25 mL/kg through a thoracic epidural catheter implanted via the lumbosacral approach. Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, analgesia, sedation, and ataxia were determined before treatment (baseline [time 0]) and at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 minutes after administration.ResultsThe main areas of analgesia for the 3 treatments were the thorax and forelimbs bilaterally. Median duration of analgesia was shorter after administration of ketamine (30 minutes) than after administration of lidocaine (40 minutes) and lidocaine plus ketamine (90 minutes). All treatments caused moderate motor blockade, and only the ketamine and lidocaine plus ketamine treatments caused mild sedation. Significant decreases in systolic and mean arterial blood pressure were observed only with the lidocaine plus ketamine treatment.Conclusions And Clinical RelevanceThoracic epidural administration of lidocaine plus ketamine resulted in longer duration of analgesia of the thorax and forelimbs bilaterally in conscious dogs, compared with administration of ketamine or lidocaine alone. Additional studies are needed to determine whether this technique adequately relieves postoperative pain after thoracic surgical procedures and whether it causes respiratory depression in dogs.

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