Chronic pain caused by severe, end-stage bone cancer in dogs can be alleviated with a single injection, according to the November issue of the Anesthesiology journal. Dogs suffering from bone cancer feel significantly better with a single neurotoxin injection than dogs receiving conventional treatment.
Since the dog is also a member of our family, we have taken responsibility for it, so if it is sick, it is our duty to do everything to ease its pain. Moreover, by studying the effects of this pain relief method on dogs, researchers hope it will also reduce pain in humans. The conventional treatments for bone cancer in dogs, such as opioids, steroids, and palliative radiation, can also have harmful side effects.
Seventy dogs participated in the investigation of the injection's effects. Half of the dogs received the neurotoxin injection called P-saporin (SP-sap), while the other half (control group) received the conventional treatment. The average age of the participating dogs was between 8 and 9 years, with an average weight of 41 kg. Several breeds took part in the study, including Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and there were also mixed-breed dogs.
The severity of pain in the control group dogs significantly increased during treatment, and the dosage of painkillers had to be raised several times, while the pain level in the P-saporin group did not increase. Additionally, the pain’s impact on the dogs' regular activities visibly increased in the control group, whereas the pain influenced the other group much less. Finally, lameness worsened in one dog in the control group, while in the SP-sap group, lameness improved in 6 dogs.
The positive pain-relieving effect of SP-sap has thus been proven by this study. The results allowed further research to begin in the field of human pain relief as well.
