Flank analgesia using lumbosacral epidural injection of tramadol alone or tramadol xylazine combination in goats

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the lumbosacral epidural injection of Tramadol alone, or Tramadol and Xylazine combination to induce flank analgesia in male local breed goats. Ten male local breed goats (weighing 31 ± 0.47 kg) were divided randomly into two equal groups. Group 1 (G1) giving tramadol alone (4 mg/kg.), group 2 (G2) giving of Tramadol and Xylazine mixture (Tramadol 4 mg/kg and Xylazine 0.05 mg/kg. B.W.), by lumbosacral epidural technique. (The volume of drugs was completed to 10 ml by adding normal saline). Animals were positioned in dorsal recumbency for two minutes after injection of drugs. Time and degree of analgesia were recorded in the high flank, low flank, and inguinal region, hind limbs, fore limbs, tail and ear. The respiratory rate, heart rate, rectal temperature and ruminal movement before giving the drugs and at each ten minutes after administration of drug till the end of analgesia were also calculated. The lumbosacral epidural injection gave a deep analgesia of high flank region in G1 and G2 for the periods of 110 and 310 minutes respectively, also the analgesia was deep in the low flank in G1 and G2 for the periods 100 and 280 minutes respectively. The inguinal region showed a deep analgesia in G1 and, G2 for the periods of 30 and 260 minutes respectively. As well as the hind limbs revealed deep analgesia in G1 and G2 for the periods 20 and 230 minutes respectively, while the forelimbs didn't show any signs of analgesia in G1 whereas the analgesia was deep in G2 for the period of 50 minutes. Deep analgesia of tail was gained in G2 only extending to 180 minutes, while there was no analgesia of tail in G1. No analgesia of ear in G1 while there was deep analgesia in G2 extended for 60 minutes. The heart rate and respiratory rate revealed a significant decrease in G2 compared with G1 which showed a slightly decrease. The rectal temperature decreased in G2 when compared with G1, and the ruminal movement didn't record any changes in both groups of study.