POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIC EFFICACY OF ACUPUNCTURE COMPARED WITH TRAMADOL AND METAMIZOLE IN BITCHES UNDERGOING OVARIOHYSTERECTOMY.

Resumo

Postoperative pain in small animals constitutes a significant challenge in veterinary medicine, and its proper management is essential to ensure clinical recovery, patient well -being, and quality of life, since uncon trolled pain may trigger adverse physiological responses such as increased inflammation, impaired healing, metabolic alterations, and delayed recovery. Integrative therapies, such as acupuncture, have been studied as alternative or complementary approaches to traditional pharmacological protocols, showing potential to reduce side effects associated with medications and improve animal comfort. The present prospective, clinical, and experimental study, approved by the CEUA under protocol no. 16/2026, aims to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of acupuncture in the postoperative period of bitches undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy, comparing its effects with the association of tramadol and dipyrone. Twenty-four female dogs of different breeds, aged between 1 a nd 5 years and weighing between 5 and 15 kg, previously evaluated as healthy and classified as ASA category I after normal clinical and laboratory examinations, will be included. The animals will be randomized into two groups of 12: control group (CG), rec eiving tramadol (5 mg/kg) and dipyrone (25 mg/kg), both IV, and acupuncture group (AG), receiving the same pharmacological protocol associated with acupuncture applied at specific points (ST36, SP6, LI4, LR3, and GB34). Before surgery, the animals will be weighed, subjected to preoperative fasting, and acclimated to the clinical environment for 24 hours to reduce stress -related interference. Anesthesia will be standardized with preanesthetic medication using acepromazine (0.03 mg/kg, IM), induction with propofol, maintenance with isoflurane, and a bolus of fentanyl (3 µg/kg, IV) before the beginning of the surgical procedure. Rigorous transoperative monitoring of heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, capnometry, temperature, and oxygen saturation will be performed. At the end of the procedure, the animals will be distributed and treated according to the protocol previously established for each group. Pain will be assessed using the short form of the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS-SF) and the unidimensional numerical scale (NS), while the level of sedation will be evaluated using the abbreviated Grint sedation scale. Physiological variables and scale scores will be collected at multiple time points (baseline, post - extubation, and 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours after surgery) by two independent blinded evaluators, and rescue analgesia with methadone 0.2 mg/kg IM will be administered if the score reaches ≥ 6/24 on the CMPS -SF. Data will be statistically analyzed using parametric and nonparametric test s, including Kaplan-Meier curves to compare analgesia duration between groups, and differences will be considered significant when p < 0.05. It is hypothesized that acupuncture enhances postoperative analgesia, promoting better recovery, comfort, and well -being, indicating that integrative approaches may reduce the exclusive use of drugs and significantly improve the clinical management and quality of life of dogs undergoing routine surgical procedures.