Comparison of intrarectal ozone, ozone administered in acupoints and meloxicam for postoperative analgesia in bitches undergoing ovariohysterectomy.

Since all analgesics currently available for use in dogs have been associated with some adverse effects, the search for an effective analgesic that does not cause harm is important. This study investigated the postoperative analgesic effects of ozone administered either intrarectally or into acupoints in bitches undergoing ovariohysterectomy (OH). Twenty-four healthy adult bitches were randomly assigned to one of the three treatments 10 min after sedation, as follows: 0.2mg/kg of intramuscular (IM) meloxicam (M); rectal insufflation of 10 mL of 30 µg/mL ozone (OI), or acupoint injection of 0.5 mL ozone (30 µg/mL; OA). Following sedation with acetylpromazine, anaesthesia was induced with propofol and fentanyl and maintained with isoflurane/O2. Pain was assessed using the modified Glasgow pain scale (MGPS) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) on the day before surgery, before anaesthesia, and at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24h after surgery. Rescue analgesia was performed using 0.5mg/kg of morphine IM if MGPS was >3.33 points. No statistically significant differences in pain scales were found among the three analgesic protocols or the time points in each group (P>0.05). Two dogs treated with OA required rescue analgesia. Meloxicam, rectal insufflation of ozone and ozone injected into acupoints provided satisfactory analgesia for 24h in bitches undergoing elective OH. Ozone had no measurable adverse effects and is an alternative option to promote pain relief.

Efeitos da eletroacupuntura, aquapuntura e farmacopuntura em cadelas anestesiadas com isofluorano e submetidas à ovário-histerectomia / Effects of electroacupuncture, aquapuncture and farmacopuntura in dogs anesthetized with isoflurane and submitted to ovariohysterectomy

Avaliaram-se os efeitos analgésicos da eletroacupuntura, aquapuntura e farmacopuntura com morfina nos acupontos VB41 e TA5 de 24 cadelas hígidas submetidas à ovário-histerectomia. Os animais foram distribuídos em quatro grupos (G) de igual número - GDest, GMorf, GElet e GC - e anestesiados com acepromazina, propofol e isofluorano. Após a estabilização do plano anestésico, os animais do GDest receberam 0,5mL de água destilada em cada acuponto; os do GMorf receberam 0,1mg/kg de morfina distribuído nos quatro acupontos; os do GElet foram submetidos à eletroacupuntura; e os do GC, acupuntura em pontos sham. Os animais do GC receberam, após o término do procedimento cirúrgico e antes do início da avaliação pelas escalas de dor, 2,0mg/kg de tramadol. Foram avaliadas: frequências cardíaca e respiratória, temperatura retal e glicemia. A dor foi avaliada por duas escalas, uma de analogia numérica e outra contagem variável, por três observadores. A avaliação iniciou-se imediatamente após a extubação e foi realizada a cada 15 minutos, durante duas horas. Não houve diferença entre os tratamentos em todas as variáveis. Pode-se concluir que eletroacupuntura, aquapuntura e farmacopuntura com morfina resultaram em analgesia similar ao tramadol no pós-operatório imediato de cadelas submetidas à ovário-histerectomia eletiva.

In order to evaluate the analgesic effects of electro-acupuncture, aquapuncture and morphine pharmacopuncture on VB41and TA5 acupoints, 24 healthy bitches were anesthetized with acepromazine, propofol and isoflurane and underwent ovariohysterectomy. The animals were equally divided into four groups: GDest, GMorf, GElet and CG. After anesthetic stabilization, GDest animals received pure water (0.5ml per acupoint); GMorf received morphine (0.1mg/kg); electroacupuncture was performed in GElet animals, and CG animals were submitted to acupuncture on Sham points. The CG animals received 2.0mg/kg of tramadol after the end of surgery and before the postoperative evaluation through pain scales. Data recorded were: heart and respiratory rate, rectal temperature and blood glucose. Pain was assessed using two different scales, one using numerical analogy and another using variable counting, both performed by three different professionals. Evaluation started immediately after the animal was extubated and was performed every 15 minutes, for 2 hours. There was no statistical difference between groups in all variables studied. It is concluded that electro-acupuncture, aquapuncture and morphine pharmacopuncture produce analgesia similar to tramadol in the postoperative period of bitches undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy.

Progesterone (PR), oestrogen (ER-α and ER-ß) and oxytocin (OTR) gene expression in the oviduct and uterus of pregnant and non-pregnant bitches.

The aim was to assess hormone receptor gene expression in the oviduct and uterus during canine pregnancy. Nineteen pregnant bitches divided into four groups were ovariohysterectomized (OVH) at either day 8, 12, 21 or 60 of pregnancy, and five non-pregnant females underwent OVH 12 days after the pre-ovulatory Luteinizant Hormone (LH) surge and served as controls. RT-qPCR for progesterone (PR), oestrogen (ER-α and ER-ß) and oxytocin (OTR) receptors was performed on the oviduct and uterine tissue. The mRNA PR expression in the uterus during early stages of pregnancy and the luteal phase was higher than at other times. The mRNA ER-ß expression in the oviduct during early pregnancy was less than in non-pregnant bitches. In the uterus, the mRNA ER-ß expression was higher in the initial stages of pregnancy. The ER-α expression was higher in the oviduct and uterus in advanced stages of pregnancy. The mRNA OTR expression in the oviduct was lower than in the uterus in control group. The expression of this receptor in oviduct and the uterus was higher in the final stages of pregnancy, when compared with other phases. These data suggested that the serum progesterone concentrations probably exert a direct control on the PR and ER (α and ß) expression and indirectly on OTR expression in the bitch oviduct and uterus.