This article is sponsored content brought to you by InVetro.
Supporting Rehabilitation Following Orthopaedic Surgery
Successful recovery following orthopaedic surgery extends beyond the procedure itself. While clinicians focus on wound healing, analgesia and rehabilitation, behavioural factors also influence patient outcomes.
Dogs recovering from fractures, cruciate ligament repairs, luxating patella surgery and other orthopaedic procedures often require strict activity restriction, which can be challenging for patients and owners. Confinement-related stress may result in pacing, vocalisation, restlessness, escape attempts and excessive activity, potentially compromising recovery.¹
Behavioural support should begin, where possible, before surgery to promote positive associations with confinement and, alongside analgesia, crate training and owner education, reduce fear, anxiety and stress while supporting calm behaviour and rest.²
How trazodone supports recovery
Trazodone is widely used in veterinary medicine for its anxiolytic and calming effects, improving confinement tolerance and calmer behaviour during recovery.¹ Peri-operative studies have also demonstrated reduced propofol requirements during induction, fewer vomiting events following morphine premedication, reduced rescue analgesia boluses, and, following hemilaminectomy, fewer rescue analgesic doses within 24 hours and increased food intake during the first 48 hours post-operatively. 3,4
Australian evidence supporting Trazocalm®
Australian studies conducted by InVetro further evaluated the efficacy and safety of Trazocalm®. Dogs receiving Trazocalm® demonstrated improved handling, compliance, positioning and reduced reactivity, measured using Grint Score assessments, from doses as low as 5 mg/kg, supporting calmer patient management during examinations and recovery.⁵
Australian studies also demonstrated a rapid onset of effect, with reduced activity from approximately 30 minutes after administration, sustained for up to eight hours, with dogs returning to normal activity within 24 hours. Clinicians should consider repeat daily dosing as recommended on the Trazocalm® label during the critical confinement period following orthopaedic surgery. Treatment should begin at the lower recommended dose and may be increased and administered up to three times daily if required, with patients reassessed every four weeks during treatment periods of 4–12 weeks.
These findings align with published research demonstrating improved owner-reported tolerance of post-operative confinement¹ and reduced behavioural and physiological signs of stress during veterinary visits.²
Veterinarians in Australia now have access to Trazocalm®, the first APVMA-approved* veterinary trazodone product available under Permit PER93844. Supported by Australian efficacy and safety data, Trazocalm® demonstrated a favourable safety profile, including no clinically relevant ECG abnormalities at therapeutic or supratherapeutic doses and no adverse events when administered alongside commonly prescribed medications.⁵
As recognition of fear, anxiety and stress continues to grow, addressing both physical and behavioural needs can support patient comfort, owner compliance and successful recovery.
Visit InVetro
References: *Trazocalm® is a veterinary medicine approved under APVMA PER93844. This permit authorises supply of an unregistered product. An application has been made to register the product.
1. Gruen ME, Roe SC, Griffith E, et al. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2014;245(3):296–301.
2. Kim YK, Lee SS, Choi HJ, et al. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022;260(8):876–883.
3. Pennington E, Springer C, Albright J, Castel A. Front Vet Sci. 2023;10:1124982.
4. Cambeiro-Camarero N, Fernández-Martín S, González-Cantalapiedra A. Animals. 2025;15:854.
5. InVetro. Data on file. Australian efficacy, safety and dissolution studies for Trazocalm®.
