Is there a simple solution for post-surgical pain in shelter dogs? One recent study suggests there
may be.

The treatment of pain in shelter pets is getting more attention lately, particularly in pets that have
chronic pain, and those recovering from surgery to treat an injury or to sterilize the pet.

In addition to concern for the animal’s suffering, pain can make a dog seem less appealing to
adopters. The experience of pain can also suppress the immune response and slow healing,
putting a dog at greater risk of illness in a stressful shelter environment..

Unfortunately, treating pain in shelter pets can be time-consuming and require skilled staff that
isn’t always available. In a recent study published in the Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology
and Therapeutics, researchers found that a single topical application of a fentanyl solution (TFS)
was as safe and effective at controlling dogs’ pain after surgery as four days of buprenorphine
injections:

In summary, this study demonstrates that a single, small volume of pre-emptive TFS
administered 2 – 4 hours prior to surgery provides analgesia that is noninferior to repeated
injections of buprenorphine over 4 days. For safety observations that included sedation
scores, body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and adverse events, changes were
minimal in magnitude and frequency and were approximately equal between groups.

D D Linton, M G Wilson, G C Newbound, K J Freise, T P Clark, “The effectiveness of a long-
acting transdermal fentanyl solution compared to buprenorphine for the control of postoperative
pain in dogs in a randomized, multicentered clinical study.” J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2012 Aug;35
Suppl 2:53-64. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2885.2012.01408.x.