Single thoracic epidural injection for intra- and post-lateral thoracotomy analgesia in a dog

A 1-year 4-month old, cocker spaniel, body mass 15 kg was presented for general anaesthesia for thoracotomy and lung lobectomy. Pre-anaesthetic medication was with intramuscular medetomidine 0.01 mg/kg and methadone 0.2 mg/kg. General anaesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with propofol and ketamine infusions. A single thoracic epidural injection with levobupivacaine 0.5%, 1 mg/kg and morphine 0.1 mg/kg at the 12th-13th thoracic intervertebral space was performed. Post-operative analgesia was with one intravenous dose of methadone 0.2 mg/kg, levobupivacaine 1 mg/kg via indwelling thoracostomy tube and intravenous paracetamol 10 mg/kg every 8 hours and meloxicam 0.1 mg/kg per os every 24 hours. Pain scoring (Glasgow CMPS-SF) was carried out every 4 hhours until 1 hour after removal of the thoracostomy tube, never exceeding 2/24. No further opioid analgesics were administered and the patient was discharged with no complications.