A randomized controlled trial of intravenous magnesium sulfate shows no analgesic or anti-inflammatory benefit in dogs undergoing thoracolumbar disk herniation surgery.

Authors

Guillaume Mallet, Luis Gaitero, Andrea Sanchez, Fiona M K James, Geoffrey Wood, Gabrielle Monteith, Francesca Samarani

Published in

American journal of veterinary research. Pages 1-10. Aug 11, 2026. Epub Aug 11, 2026.

Abstract

To investigate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of intraoperative IV magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) continuous rate infusion in dogs undergoing thoracolumbar hemilaminectomy for intervertebral disk extrusion (IVDE).
30 client-owned dogs presented at the Ontario Veterinary College Health Sciences Centre were enrolled from October 2022 through October 2023. Prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial dogs received either MgSO4 (magnesium group) or an equal volume of saline (control group) intraoperatively. All dogs followed standardized anesthesia and analgesia protocols. The primary outcome measures were postoperative pain assessed using the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale-Short Form at recovery and 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours after surgery and serum IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α concentrations measured preoperatively and 1 hour postoperatively to assess anti-inflammatory effects. Serum magnesium concentrations were measured as a secondary outcome to monitor for potential toxicity.
There were no significant differences in the pain scores and the IL-6 levels between the 2 groups. Tumor necrosis factor-α levels were undetectable in most dogs and were not analyzed statistically. The placebo group did not significantly require additional pain medication. Magnesium sulfate administration provided smoother anesthesia recoveries. Serum magnesium concentrations were significantly higher in the magnesium group immediately and 1 hour postoperatively but not at 24 hours.
Intraoperative IV MgSO4 did not significantly improve postoperative analgesia or decrease inflammation compared to placebo in dogs undergoing surgery for IVDE.
There was no significant evidence to use intraoperative IV MgSO4 to improve postoperative analgesia or decrease inflammation in dogs undergoing surgery for IVDE. However, no adverse effects were reported.

PMID:
42580781
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Aug 2026.

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