Intra- and postoperative opioid-sparing analgesia in a cat undergoing pelvic limb amputation

A combination of preoperative epidurally administered morphine, peripheral nerve blocks and postoperative wound irrigation with ropivacaine is described as an opioid-sparing analgesic protocol for a feline immunodeficiency virus-positive cat with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy undergoing hindlimb amputation. The reported strategy resulted in a lack of intraoperative sympathetic response, haemodynamic stability and adequate postoperative analgesia. No rescue analgesia was needed at any point.

This report represents an example of how several locoregional techniques can be effectively combined to minimise the perioperative use of systemic opioids and their potential side effects in selected cases.