Abstract

Loco-regional anaesthetic techniques are considered important in the multimodal approach to analgesia in both human and veterinary medicine. These techniques are widely used in cats and dogs, with reports in a number of other species from calves to raptors. No such techniques are described in the alpaca, bar the use of lumbo-sacral epidural. This is in part due to the lack of anatomical description for this species. Whilst this limitation exists, the use of ultrasound guidance makes peripheral nerve blocks a viable possibility in the alpaca. With an ever increasing number of alpacas kept worldwide as both pets and farm animals, and an increasing demand for advanced veterinary interventions, the need for specific loco-regional anaesthetic techniques exists. The ultrasound-guided psoas compartment and sciatic nerve blocks may provide a logical target for pain management in procedures of the hind limb. This report identifies the ease of performance and the challenges encountered using these techniques in the alpaca. It is our hope that this report encourages the use of peripheral nerve blocks and promotes further research of ultrasound-guided loco-regional techniques in this species.

Key words: Loco-regional anaesthesia, ultrasound-guided, psoas compartment block, sciatic nerve block, alpaca