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Lidocaine and bupivacaine are both amide local anaesthetics, but they differ substantially in onset, potency, duration, tissue distribution, and toxicity profile. This Pain Update will help you choose which one to select for canine and feline local anaesthesia. We've considered lidocaine and bupivacaine as the main locals available in veterinary practice. The simple why – Less pain: local anaesthetics enable us to reduce opioid consumption in the post-op period. Reduced adver

At the recent Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists conference in Liverpool there was an abstract presented examining subcutaneous ketamine in dogs. The study was entitled ‘A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled parallel-group pilot study evaluating the effect of low-dose subcutaneous ketamine as an adjunctive analgesic in dogs with osteoarthritis’ and was conducted by Nielsen and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen. In their introduction they point out t

Music in the perioperative period of dogs and cats: evidence and a framework for clinical application Georgiou SG, Galatos AD Introduction Music is increasingly recognized as a safe, low-cost, and non-pharmacological adjunct within multimodal perioperative care. In human medicine, it has demonstrated anxiolytic, analgesic, and anaesthetic-sparing effects, while veterinary evidence in dogs and cats, although still limited, has shown promising but variable outcomes. Importantly

Here you will find the links to the Canine Osteoarthritis Staging Tool (COAST) and the Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) tool. LOAD COAST In this webinar, we review the COAST guidelines which aim to provide vet professionals with guidance on managing osteoarthritis. The objective is to develop an OA management program using a consistent approach but with enough freedom of choice to meet the requirements of each patient and pet caregiver. In this webinar we review the g

This study investigated how astrocytes and microglia in the dorsal horn of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS) with syringomyelia (SM) differ at the molecular level when dogs exhibit neuropathic pain (NeP) versus when they do not. As the authors state, this work provides a basis for further understanding of the changes seen in pain processes in SM. Using NanoString GeoMx spatial transcriptomics, the authors analyzed gene expression in specific glial-rich regions to understa

One of the common questions that we receive is regarding doses of local anaesthetics in cats when multiple nerve blocks are required. In this recent paper entitled "Pharmacokinetics of bupivacaine after bilateral maxillary and caudal inferior alveolar nerve blocks using two injection volumes in cats," the authors set out to investigate the effect of multiple bupivacaine nerve blocks. The nerve blocks used were bilateral maxillary and bilateral caudal inferior alveolar nerve

In a recent publication, Marangoni et al set out to investigate the Feline Grimace Scale in brachycephalic cats. Specifically, then examined the inter-rater reliability, agreement and responsiveness of the FGS in this demographic. Remember, the FGS looks at five specific 'action units' which are ear position, orbital tightening, muzzle tension, whiskers position and head position. The scale assigns a score out of 10, with 10 being most painful. This therefore raises the quest

In this narrative review of bedinvetmab, all publications to date (April 2026) have been considered in chronological order to enable the reader to see the evolution of understanding associated with the product. We also provided information on the human product, tanezumab which never made it to the market. Studies supporting the marketing authorisation of bedinvetmab (Librela/Beransa) In 2021 Corral et al published their findings which supported the European marketing auth

Adverse effects reported with human anti-NGF monoclonal antibodies This post is designed to be read with our update on anti-NGF monoclonal antibodies in canine OA. Tanezumab is a monoclonal antibody designed to treat chronic pain, particularly osteoarthritis (OA), by targeting and inhibiting nerve growth factor (NGF). Tanezumab resulted in a condition called Rapidly Progressive Osteoarthritis (RPOA) in people, with an unclear aetiology. In one of the laboratory trials of be

In this post we review the evidence since the publication in 2022 of Barbeau-Gregoire et al's systematic review and meta-analysis on this...

This pain update reviews a study published recently in Veterinary Medicine and Science. The title of the article is "A survey study on...

Do you find yourself faced with clients reeling off lists of supplements you’ve never heard of? I do too! When doing some literature...

Each year the team at Zero Pain Philosophy run the Big Pain Survey. Our most recent survey was split into one survey for vets and one...

Next time you choose to use a continuous rate infusion, are you thinking ketamine or fentanyl? Or maybe you are thinking, is there a...

In this pain update, we discuss the effective pain scales available for assessing feline dental patients. Insights from the British...

Excellent analgesia management starts with pain assessment. If we understand how uncomfortable our patients are, we can start to tailor a...

The Importance of the GenPup-M Mobility Questionnaire in Veterinary Medicine Mobility problems in dogs are a significant health concern,...

Most clinical problems and a significant number of scientific studies involve pain. Pain identification, followed by attitudes towards...

PEA is short for palmitoylethanolamide. PEA is an N-acylethanolamine - naturally occurring lipid mediator molecules composed of a fatty...

Calculation of local anaesthetic volume required for retrobulbar block in dogs Enucleation is a routine salvage procedure performed in...

September is Animal Pain Awareness Month . Our Big Pain Survey is now live! Open to all veterinary professionals worldwide. Pain...

Now wouldn't it be great if we could extend the duration of action of our nerve block and offer extended comfort to our patients? In this...

Abstract Objective: To audit factors which influence nociception in dogs and cats undergoing dental extractions. To assess...

In our view, methadone is a really versatile opioid. That’s the reason we wrote a webinar on the topic entitled ‘Methadone, the most...

Pain trials are a valuable tool to use in managing your chronic pain cases. In this Pain Update we review how we use pain trials, what we...

Our latest Pain Update reviews the literature around controlling the response to rhinoscopy in dogs. The main paper we review (Kim et al...

For a number of years now we have been performing a bilateral maxillary nerve block for our BOAS cases at Anderson Moores Vet...

Over the 20 years that I have been a vet, we have seen remarkable steps taken towards our understanding of pain assessment in animals....

September is Animal Pain Awareness Month, and we are launching our first ever Big Pain Survey! It's your chance to share your thoughts...

The need for a procedure-specific approach Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has been on the agenda of our medical colleagues since...

How many cats suffer with osteoarthritis (OA)? At what age do cats begin to show signs of OA? How many cats with OA do you see each week?...

Is it an alternative to morphine? From time to time the availability of preservative-free morphine for epidural use becomes challenging....

Although this seems a popular block, there have always been doubts over the efficacy due to the anatomy of the nerves that are required...

For our latest pain update, Matt reviews this paper entitled; ‘Acute inflammatory response via neutrophil activation protects against the...

In this WSAVA Global Pain Council capsule review, these simple and cost-effective techniques are covered. Read the capsule review here ....

Gabapentin has a variety of indications in cats, and the key recognition here is that dose differs with indication. We've taken a look at...

Dogs with bone cancer suffer with severe pain due to widespread somatosensory sensitivity. Through a combination of peripheral...

There is an EU proposal out for consultation currently, looking at restricting amantadine for human use, the rationale being that it is...

These are the show notes for our gabapentin in cats podcast. Our podcast is a subscriber benefit included in our monthly subscriptions....

Visceral pain as a topic remains slightly enigmatic. We deal with these cases everyday. Like much of our pain practice, the theoretical...

Amitriptyline is one drug option that always appears in pain reviews. Should amitriptyline be part of your therapeutic options for...

In our webinar reviewing the use of NSAIDs long term in cats, we focus on those cats suffering with chronic kidney disease. This...

Solensia (frunevetmab) is here! Solensia is a monoclonal antibody which targets nerve growth factor, a key mediator in the pain of...

Quickfire 10 is our firefighting approach to pain! 10 questions, bringing you right up to speed! What is the licence indication for...

As you read our pain updates and listen to our webinars you will realise we talk a lot about pain scoring! So I decided to expand a...

Yesterday was a really exciting day for me! I used a totally new pain killer for arthritis for the first time at Anderson Moores...

The Zero Pain Philosophy Elevator Pitch. A 30 second opportunity to share pain priorities with Hannah Capon & Canine Arthritis Management.

In the month of new resolutions, I always think the best I can do for my painful patients is to understand how to look for pain! I’m...

A common question for us is about using morphine lidocaine and ketamine as a combination infusion for analgesia. This is a great...

We are gathering insight regarding grapiprant (Galliprant) and value your opinion as a prescriber. If you can spare 2 minutes we would be...