Carprofen neither reduces postoperative facial expression scores in rabbits treated with buprenorphine nor alters long term bone formation after maxillary sinus grafting

Abstract

In connection with bilateral maxillary sinus augmentation, the acute effects of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug carprofen on facial expression and long-term effects on bone formation were evaluated in 18 male New Zealand White rabbits. A 10 x 10-mm bone window was drilled in the maxilla, the sinus membrane elevated and a titanium mini-implant inserted. One of two test materials was randomly inserted unilaterally and bovine bone chips (control) on the contralateral side in the created space. Rabbits were randomly allocated to receive buprenorphine plus carprofen (n=9) or buprenorphine plus saline (n=9) postoperatively. Buprenorphine was administered subcutaneously every 6 h for 3 d in a tapered dose (0.05-0.01 mg/kg) and carprofen (5 mg/kg) or saline administered subcutaneously 1 h before, and daily for 4 d postoperatively. To assess pain, clinical examination, body weight recording and scoring of facial expression from photos taken before, and 6-13 h after surgery was performed. Twelve weeks after surgery the rabbits were euthanized and sections of maxillary bones and sinuses were analysed with histomorphometry and by qualitative histology.Carprofen had no effect on mean facial expression scores, which increased from 0.0 to 3.6 (carprofen) and 4.3 (saline), of a maximum of 8.0. Neither did carprofen have an effect on bone formation or implant incorporation, whereas the test materials had.In conclusion, treatment with 5 mg/kg carprofen once daily for 5 d did not reduce facial expression scores after maxillary sinus augmentation in buprenorphine treated rabbits and did not affect long term bone formation.

Development of the Bristol Rabbit Pain Scale (BRPS): A multidimensional composite pain scale specific to rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

“…The RbtGS relies on five facial indicators (Orbital tightening, Cheek flattening, Nostril shape, Whisker shape and position, and Ear shape and position) each on a 0–2 scale; where 0 is no pain and 2 is extreme pain. The RbtGS is easy to use, although some of the facial indicators such as whisker position may be difficult to assess [ 5 ]. Moreover, it has been developed based on a breed of straight-eared rabbits, common in laboratories.…”

Administration of Tramadol or Buprenorphine via the drinking water for post-operative analgesia in a mouse-osteotomy model

“…Negative effects of opioids on bone homeostasis in humans have been described only in case of long-term administration, and include a high incidence of spontaneous fractures related to, e.g., loss of bone mineral density due to direct effects on osteoclasts and osteoblasts or indirect effects via the endocrine system 52–54 . However, results from animal experiments do not clearly indicate any influence of either Tramadol or Buprenorphine on bone homeostasis and/or regeneration 55,56 .…”

Analgesia in pet rabbits: a survey study on how pain is assessed and ameliorated by veterinary surgeons

“…It is the current consensus that multimodal analgesia is best practice. However, the optimal dose, timing, duration and drugs combinations remains to be established in rabbits with only few studies on clinical efficacy 9 10 …”