Use of a rectus sheath block to provide successful perioperative analgesia for umbilical hernia repair in a Boer goat ( <i>Capra aegagrus hircus</i> )

Abstract Providing perioperative analgesia in farm animal species is often hampered by limited analgesic agent availability, legal restrictions, or an absence of licensed products. A 38.7 kg, 6‐month‐old male Boer goat presented for surgical repair of a non‐strangulated umbilical hernia. Following preanaesthetic sedation with intramuscular xylazine (0.05 mg/kg), general anaesthesia was induced with intravenous midazolam (0.2 mg/kg) and ketamine (2.3 mg/kg) and maintained with isoflurane carried in oxygen. An ultrasound‐guided rectus sheath block was performed, with 0.5 mL/kg of lidocaine 1% delivered in each of the two injection sites. Surgery progressed uneventfully, with no indications of nociception: autonomic responses to surgical stimulation were not observed, with stability in heart rate, respiration rate and arterial blood pressure. Yohimbine (0.1 mg/kg) was given intravenously to accelerate recovery and facilitate tracheal extubation. The goat was returned to its owner 1.5 hours after recovery, and the owner reported a rapid return to normal function (eating, drinking and voiding).