Local anesthetics are medications used to provide temporary pain relief by blocking sensation in specific localized areas of an animal’s body.
Local anesthetics work by blocking nerve impulses in the area where they are administered. They achieve this by inhibiting the conduction of pain signals along nerve fibers, thereby preventing the sensation of pain from reaching the brain.
There are different types of local anesthetics commonly used in veterinary medicine. These include but are not limited to:
Lidocaine: Lidocaine is one of the most widely used local anesthetics in veterinary practice. It can be administered topically,
subcutaneously, or via nerve blocks. Lidocaine provides rapid onset and relatively long-lasting pain relief. We use a topical lidocaine product for our intravenous catheters to reduce any pain associated with this needle.
Bupivacaine: Bupivacaine is another local anesthetic used in animals. It is known for its longer duration of action compared to lidocaine, making it suitable for procedures requiring extended pain relief.
Local anesthetics can be administered in various ways, including:
- Topical: Applied directly to the skin or mucous membranes to numb the surface area.
- Subcutaneous: Injected under the skin to provide local anesthesia in the surrounding tissue.
- Infiltration: Injected directly into the tissues around the surgical site.
- Nerve Blocks: Administered near nerves that supply the area where the procedure will be performed, effectively blocking sensation in that region.
Local anesthetics are used for a wide range of procedures in veterinary medicine, including:
- Minor surgical procedures: Local anesthetics can be used to provide pain relief for wound repair, biopsies, or removal of small tumors.
- Dental procedures: Dental nerve blocks with local anesthetics are used to perform dental extractions and other oral procedures.
- Eye surgeries: Local anesthetics can be applied topically to numb the eye for ophthalmic procedures.
- Laceration repairs: They are often used to provide pain relief during the suturing of lacerations or wounds.
- Joint injections: Local anesthetics can be used as part of joint injections for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.
- Orthopedic surgeries: We use local anesthetics during orthopedic procedures such as fracture repairs, knee surgeries, and hip surgeries.
- Coccygeal epidural: We use local anesthetics in a coccygeal epidural for perineal procedures including tail amputations, urethrostomies, catheterization for relief of urethral obstructions, and other surgeries of the penis or perineal region.
Local anesthetics are valuable tools in veterinary medicine for providing targeted pain relief, reducing the need for systemic pain medications, and improving the overall comfort and well-being of animals undergoing various procedures.
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your pet receiving local anesthesia or about the procedure for which your pet is scheduled.