Do Vets Use Lidocaine On Dogs For Pain Relief?

Lidocaine finds essential applications in veterinary medicine, serving as a sterile aqueous solution administered to various animals such as cattle, horses, swine, goats, and sheep. This medication is primarily employed as a preoperative agent, playing a crucial role in a range of anesthesia procedures tailored to different species.

In cattle, lidocaine is employed specifically for both low and high epidural anesthesia. For horses, it serves as a valuable tool for local-regional anesthesia. Swine benefit from lidocaine in the context of epidural and intercostal anesthesia, while sheep and goats also undergo epidural anesthesia procedures with the aid of this medication. These applications showcase the versatile utility of lidocaine in veterinary medicine, ensuring safe and effective anesthesia management for a variety of surgical procedures across different animal species.

Determining the safe dosage of lidocaine for dogs depends on their body weight. For both dogs and cats, the recommended dosage is 1 mL of lidocaine per 10 pounds of their body weight. However, when it comes to larger animals like cattle and horses, the dosage differs. For nerve block procedures in cattle and horses, the recommended dosage ranges from 5 to 20 mL, depending on the specific procedure and animal size. When using lidocaine for infiltration, it’s essential to dilute it to a 0.5% concentration. To achieve this concentration, mix 1 mL of a 2% lidocaine solution with 3 mL of sterile water, resulting in 4 mL of a 0.5% solution. This information ensures that lidocaine is administered safely and effectively across various animal species and medical applications.