Opioid‐sparing anaesthesia techniques in dog and cat undergoing bilateral thoracotomy

Multimodal analgesia is the foundation of opioid‐sparing analgesia protocols in major surgery, being locoregional anaesthesia their keystone. Its aim is to provide adequate analgesia while minimising opioid requirements, and thus opioid‐related adverse effects. The blossoming of ultrasound‐guided fascial plane blocks offers a new spectrum of safer and simpler alternatives to traditional locoregional anaesthesia techniques. This report describes the anaesthetic management of a dog and a cat that underwent bilateral thoracotomy for treatment of chylothorax. The multimodal analgesia protocol consisted of preoperative methadone, ultrasound‐guided serratus plane and erector spinae plane blocks, and epidural catheter for postoperative analgesia management. The combination of these techniques allowed for a reduction of perioperative opioid requirements, good‐quality recovery and opioid‐free analgesia in the postoperative period.