Multimodal pain management in a dog with oral fibrosarcoma

Abstract

An 8‐year‐old lurcher presented at the Pain Clinic of the Queen Mother Hospital following a 7‐month history of progressive right‐sided facial pain that was poorly responsive to multimodal oral analgesia. Initial investigations had revealed dental changes. Despite appropriate treatment, the patient's clinical signs had deteriorated, resulting in the inability to chew, behavioural changes, and his owner's being unable to administer oral medication, all resulting in progressive weight loss. Computed tomography imaging revealed marked soft tissue thickening of the upper lip, extending along the infraorbital canal and periorbital inflammation. The biopsy confirmed fibrosarcoma. The patient received a multimodal analgesia approach, with systemic analgesia and electroacupuncture performed perioperatively. Neurolysis of the infraorbital nerve was also attempted using an alcohol solution. Following recovery from anaesthesia, the patient showed improved comfort and ate before leaving the hospital. Initial improvement was seen for a number of days at home; however, following this, the owners reported deterioration.