Thoracic paravertebral block for an opioid-free thoracotomy in a dog

For decades, opioids have been the cornerstone of perioperative pain management. However, potential opioid-related risks such as immunosuppression, nausea/vomiting, dysphoria, respiratory depression, opioid-induced hyperalgesia and drug interactions may limit their use. As a consequence, there is now an effort to move toward opioid-free anesthesia ( White et al., 2017 White D.M. Mair A.R. Martinez-Taboada F. Opioid-free anaesthesia in three dogs. Open Vet J. 2017; 7: 104-110 Crossref PubMed Scopus (18) Google Scholar ).