Compendium : continuing education for veterinarians
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Our recent pharmacokinetic studies with lidocaine patches in dogs and cats have found that plasma concentration of lidocaine following patch application tends to be low. Lidocaine patch application can be a powerful analgesic adjunct to existing analgesic agents, including opioids and NSAIDs, in a multimodal pain management scheme. This article reviews the pros and cons of lidocaine patch application and its clinical use in dogs and cats. A comparison of lidocaine and fentanyl patches is included.