Watch the trailer below for “Managing pain without opioids: Is it possible?” by Jo Murrell BVSc.(Hons), PhD, DiplECVAA, MRCVS. If you want to watch it in full, click on buy, on the video.

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Lecture Synopsis:

Opioids have long been the cornerstone of analgesia provision for small animals in the western world. There is good evidence to support their efficacy and in the USA, Europe and the UK there are a few different opioid drugs licensed for use in cats and dogs. Along with licensing comes data to support use and efficacy. Despite their usefulness in small animal analgesia protocols it must be acknowledged that opioids are not readily available worldwide, with restrictions on the veterinary use of opioids being particular rigid in Asia and increasing restrictions in the USA associated with the opioid crisis. There are also a number of different side effects associated with opioid use that are leading to a move to explore more opioid sparing or opioid free analgesia techniques in the veterinary profession.

Learning Objectives:

1. Know the side effects of opioids.
2. Learn about alternative drugs to provide analgesia instead of opioids.
3. Know the evidence base for opioid free / sparing analgesia.

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