Analgesic effect of butorphanol in ponies following castration.
Abstract: In the UK butorphanol has a marketing authorisation for administration to horses for sedation in combination with detomidine, and at a higher dose (0.1 mg/kg bwt), for the alleviation of pain. There is only a limited number of clinical studies designed to examine the analgesic effects of butorphanol administration following surgery. Objective: To investigate the effect of premedication with butorphanol on post operative pain following castration under general anaesthesia in ponies. Objective: Ponies receiving butorphanol would experience less pain after castration than ponies that did not receive butorphanol. Methods: A randomised, observer blinded clinical study in which 20 ponies received butorphanol and detomidine (Group B) or detomidine alone (Group C). Anaesthesia was induced with ketamine and diazepam and open castration performed. Pain was assessed by one individual using a dynamic interactive visual analogue scale (DIVAS) 100 mm in length (0 = no pain, 100 mm the maximum possible pain for that procedure). 'Rescue' analgesia was administered when DIVAS >50 mm and was butorphanol i.v. On the second occasion DIVAS was >50 mm, flunixin was administered i.v. Data from the DIVAS were analysed using a Mann Whitney Test. Results: Only one animal did not require rescue analgesia after surgery (Group C). DIVAS were not significantly different between groups (P = 0.063). Conclusions: Castration is sufficiently painful that administration of a single preoperative dose of butorphanol does not provide adequate post operative analgesia.
Publication Date: 2009-10-07 PubMed ID: 19803050DOI: 10.2746/042516409x391024Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
Summary
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The researchers studied the effects of using butorphanol as a premedication for ponies having castration surgery. The results showed that a single preoperative dose of butorphanol did not provide enough pain relief after the surgery.
Study Objective and Methodology
The primary aim of this research was to determine the impact of premedication with butorphanol on postoperative pain in ponies following castration under general anesthesia. The hypothesis was that ponies receiving butorphanol would experience less pain after castration than those not receiving the drug.
- The study followed a randomised, observer blinded design with two groups: Group B, which consisted of 20 ponies that were administered butorphanol and detomidine, and Group C, which were administered detomidine alone.
- Anesthesia was induced with ketamine and diazepam, followed by an open castration surgery.
- The pain levels of the ponies were measured using a dynamic interactive visual analogue scale (DIVAS), where ‘0’ indicated ‘no pain’ and ‘100 mm’ represented the ‘maximum possible pain for that procedure’.
- ‘Rescue’ analgesia was given when pain reached DIVAS >50 mm, with a second dose of analgesia administered if DIVAS continued to exceed 50 mm after the initial administration.
- Data gathered from this scale were processed using a Mann Whitney Test for analysis.
Results of the Study
The results of the study did not match the initial hypothesis. The ponies in both Group B (those given butorphanol) and Group C (those not given butorphanol) showed similar pain levels, with the difference being statistically insignificant (P=0.063). Only one pony (from Group C) did not require rescue analgesia after the surgery.
Conclusions
The study concluded that castration surgery in ponies is so painful that a single preoperative dose of butorphanol is insufficient to provide adequate pain relief after surgery. Therefore, the need for postoperative pain management is critical, and the use of butorphanol alone, at least in the context of castration surgery in ponies, may not be the most effective method. Future research might involve exploring other analgesics or combinations for more effective postoperative pain management in similar surgical procedures.
Cite This Article
APA
Love EJ, Taylor PM, Clark C, Whay HR, Murrell J.
(2009).
Analgesic effect of butorphanol in ponies following castration.
Equine Vet J, 41(6), 552-556.
https://doi.org/10.2746/042516409x391024 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK.
MeSH Terms
- Analgesics / therapeutic use
- Animals
- Butorphanol / therapeutic use
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Male
- Orchiectomy / adverse effects
- Pain, Postoperative / drug therapy
- Pain, Postoperative / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Maldonado Moreno N, Alves Moreira J, Araujo De Oliveira L, Sanches Gontijo A, Castilho Baldi ML, Rocha Wenceslau R, Beier SL. Analgesic and Gastrointestinal Effects of Methadone in Horses Undergoing Orchiectomy. Animals (Basel) 2025 Aug 11;15(16).
- Varner KM, Curtiss AL, Hogan PM, Love K, Dodam JR. Retrospective evaluation of the impact of atropine administration on incidence of post-operative colic in healthy, isoflurane-anaesthetised horses. Equine Vet J 2025 Jul;57(4):924-930.
- Straticò P, Carluccio A, Varasano V, Guerri G, Suriano R, Robbe D, Cerasoli I, Petrizzi L. Analgesic Effect of Butorphanol during Castration in Donkeys under Total Intravenous Anaesthesia. Animals (Basel) 2021 Aug 9;11(8).
- Abou-Khalil NS, Ali MF, Ali MM, Ibrahim A. Surgical castration versus chemical castration in donkeys: response of stress, lipid profile and redox potential biomarkers. BMC Vet Res 2020 Aug 26;16(1):310.
- de Oliveira MGC, Luna SPL, Nunes TL, Firmino PR, de Lima AGA, Ferreira J, Trindade PHE, Júnior RAB, de Paula VV. Post-operative pain behaviour associated with surgical castration in donkeys (Equus asinus). Equine Vet J 2021 Mar;53(2):261-266.
- Abass M, Picek S, Garzón JFG, Kühnle C, Zaghlou A, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R. Local mepivacaine before castration of horses under medetomidine isoflurane balanced anaesthesia is effective to reduce perioperative nociception and cytokine release. Equine Vet J 2018 Nov;50(6):733-738.
- Taylor PM, Hoare HR, de Vries A, Love EJ, Coumbe KM, White KL, Murrell JC. A multicentre, prospective, randomised, blinded clinical trial to compare some perioperative effects of buprenorphine or butorphanol premedication before equine elective general anaesthesia and surgery. Equine Vet J 2016 Jul;48(4):442-50.
- Dalla Costa E, Minero M, Lebelt D, Stucke D, Canali E, Leach MC. Development of the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) as a pain assessment tool in horses undergoing routine castration. PLoS One 2014;9(3):e92281.
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