The majority of procedures undertaken on our companion animals have some potential to cause pain. Some pain may be considered so transient that we don’t take pharmacologic measures to reduce it—taking a blood sample, for example. But at a certain threshold, we determine that analgesia is both essential and ethical. In this issue, the use of local anesthesia is the focus of our Practical Pharmacology section. It’s obvious that the use of local anesthesia has advanced considerably over the 4500 years since physical nerve compression techniques were documented in ancient Egypt and 3200 years ago when Homer wrote about the use of bitterroot during the Trojan War in the Iliad! However, progress sounds in some cases as if it may have caused more pain than it treated, with Plato and Aristotle documenting the use of electric shocks to decrease sensitivity in 350 BC. A major breakthrough in modern local anesthesia was made in 1841 when American physician Zophar Jayne created the framework for the modern hypodermic syringe, followed shortly by the discovery of cocaine, which was administered on the eye as a topical anesthetic. The additional use of epinephrine kept the anesthetic from diffusing systemically, which paved the way for the discovery and use of procaine and lidocaine. With continued research and innovation, the field of local anesthesia will no doubt evolve further to advance the eternal quest for a pain-free life!
What We’re Up To
Today’s Veterinary Practice Editorial Advisory Board Member Chad Johannes, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM, Oncology), is among 8 Scientific Advisory Board members for Take C.H.A.R.G.E. (Canine Health and Registry Exchange). Take C.H.A.R.G.E. is a first-of-its-kind national canine cancer registry that provides the veterinary community, cancer researchers, and dog owners with open access to important canine cancer incidence and prevalence data to help guide diagnosis and treatment decisions. Veterinary clinics and dog owners can upload medical records of dogs with cancer, which are automatically deidentified/anonymized, at no cost to the clinic or pet owner. Learn more at takechargeregistry.com.
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