NARCOTICS AND LOCAL-ANESTHETICS

Acute and chronic pain and suffering in animals is associated with specific behaviors or behavioral changes. Once recognized, pain can be alleviated by the use of systemic opioids or local anesthetics. New kappa receptor opioids have been developed that produce analgesia with fewer adverse excitory and cardiovascular effects in the horse than classical morphine-type narcotic analgesics. Procaine, lidocaine, and mepivacaine have been widely used and their effects have been studied objectively in performance horses. © 1993 W.B. Saunders Company