ORIGINAL ARTICLE Meloxicam vs robenacoxib for postoperative pain management in dogs undergoing combined laparoscopic ovariectomy and laparoscopic-assisted gastropexy Cristiano Bendinelli DVM 1 | Roberto Properzi DVM 1 | Paolo Boschi DVM 1 | Carla Bresciani DVM, PhD 2 | Erica Rocca DVM 1 | Alberto Sabbioni DVM 2 | Fabio Leonardi DVM, PhD 2 1 Private Practice, Rapallo, Italy 2 Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy Correspondence Fabio Leonardi, via del Taglio 10, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy. Email: fabio.leonardi@unipr.it Abstract Objective: To compare meloxicam and robenacoxib for short-term postoperative pain management after combined laparoscopic ovariectomy and laparoscopic- assisted gastropexy. Study design: Double-blind, prospective, randomised clinical trial. Animals: Twenty-six client-owned female dogs. Methods: Dogs undergoing combined laparoscopic ovariectomy and laparoscopic- assisted gastropexy were randomly divided into 2 groups. Before induction of anesthesia, 13 dogs received meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg subcutaneously), and 13 dogs received robenacoxib (2 mg/kg subcutaneously). Pain was scored with the Glasgow Composite Pain Scale (short form) before surgery and at 1, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours after extubation. Rescue analgesia (tramadol, 3 mg/kg) was provided to dogs with a Glasgow pain score (GPS) ≥5. Glasgow pain scores were analyzed by ANOVA with treatment, age, and surgical time as fixed factors. Results: Glasgow pain scores were higher at 24 hours postsurgery in dogs treated with robenacoxib (2.18 ± 0.29) compared with those treated with meloxicam (0.68 ± 0.41, P = .04). Two dogs treated with meloxicam and 7 dogs treated with robenacoxib required rescue analgesia. Regardless of the treatment, the overall GPS was lower at 18 and 24 hours postsurgery when the surgical time was >40 minutes compared with surgical times ≤40 minutes, but surgical site inflam- mation was likely a confounding factor in this finding. Glasgow pain score was not affected by patient age. Conclusion: Meloxicam was more effective than robenacoxib at controlling pain in the population of dogs reported here. Clinical significance: Preoperative administration of meloxicam effectively con- trols pain for 24 hours after combined laparoscopic ovariectomy and laparoscopic- assisted gastropexy, but rescue analgesia may be required. 1 | INTRODUCTION Ovariectomy and ovariohysterectomy are the most common surgical procedures used to sterilize female dogs. Prophylac- tic gastropexy and ovariectomy or ovariohysterectomy are routinely performed in small animal practice. 1 Prophylactic gastropexy prevents gastric-dilatation volvulus in predis- posed dogs. 2,3 Traditional ovariectomy and gastropexy cause pain from organ manipulation, tissue trauma, and inflamma- tion. Compared with open surgical techniques, laparoscopic Received: 22 May 2017 Revised: 13 April 2018 Accepted: 8 May 2018 DOI: 10.1111/vsu.13156 Veterinary Surgery. 2019;1–6. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/vsu © 2019 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons 1