DSS Faculty Office: 3484

• AB, Vassar College, 1985
• DVM, Washington State University, 1989
• Residency, Anesthesiology, Washington State University, 1989-1992
• Post-doctoral Fellow, Cardiac Physiology, Washington State University, 1992-1994
• Clinical Instructor, Small Animal Anesthesiology, University of Georgia, 1994-1995
• Clinical Instructor, Anesthesiology, Cornell University, 1995-1997
• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists, 1995

Dr. Smith's research interests are focused in the areas of acute and chronic pain management in companion animals and laboratory animals. Specifically she is interested in long-acting, slow-release formulations of opioids for treatment of acute pain and for use in long-term pain where frequent dosing is not logistically practical. Dr. Smith is co-inventor on methodology for liposome-encapsulation of opioids that yield extended analgesic durations. She is also interested in the analgesic effects and peripheral/central mechanisms of sodium channel blockers and GABA agonists/pathways in models of chronic neuropathic pain.

Dr. Smith is involved in teaching students in the second, third, and fourth year veterinary curriculum. She coordinates the Fundamentals of Anesthesiology I and II courses for second and third year veterinary students, the Anesthesia Laboratory course for third year students, and the Clinical Anesthesia rotation, and the Advanced Anesthesia elective in the students' fourth year.  Her teaching responsibilities are split between didactic teaching in lecture courses and instruction of fourth year students during their clinical rotations in anesthesiology. Dr. Smith is the faculty advisor for the new Student Chapter of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management. She also serves on various departmental and SVM committees.

Dr. Smith's clinical interests lie in the application of new approaches to pain management in companion animals. She has spoken at many national and international meetings in the areas of pain management and use of new anesthetic agents in veterinary medicine.

Book Chapters and Reviews: 

Smith LJ, Moon PF. Anesthesia of Swine in Veterinary Clinics of North America; Food Animal Anesthesia, (C.E. Swanson, Ed.), W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia: November 1996.

Smith LJ. Hypotension: in Veterinary Anesthesia and Pain Management Secrets, (S.E. Greene, Ed.), Hanley & Belfus, Inc., Philadelphia: 2001.

Smith LJ. Clinical Toolbox: The importance of Pain Management. Veterinary Economics. 2004 2(9):7.

Smith LJ. Answering your questions: Practical Analgesia in cats. Veterinary Medicine, August 2005:602-610.

Smith LJ. On the Forefront: Extended-release liposomal opioids for treating pain in dogs. Veterinary Medicine, October 2005:708-711.

Smith LJ. Balanced Anesthetic Techniques. NAVTA Journal, Spring 2006.

Smith LJ. Liposome-encapsulated hydromorphone for extended analgesia in dogs. Leading Edge article. Veterinary Forum, April 2007.

Krugner-Higby L, Smith LJ, Heath TD. Novel delivery systems for extended release dosing of analgesics in laboratory animals. Laboratory Animal Medicine, in press.

Peer-reviewed research publications: 

Savard R, Smith LJ, Palmer JE, Greenwood MRC. Site specific effects of acute exercise on muscle and adipose tissue metabolism in sedentary female rats. Physiol and Behavior 1988, 43:65-71.

Grant B., Smith LJ, Swenson K. et al. Hill training for high performance horses. Eq Athlete 1988, 1(1):6-15.

Smith LJ, Greene SA, Moore MP, Keegan RD.  The effects of varying arterial carbon dioxide tension on the quantitative electroencephalogram of halothane-anesthetized dogs. Am J Vet Res 1994, 55(4):467-471.

Smith LJ, Stepien RL. Anesthesia Case of the Month. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1999, 214(3):340-343.

Smith LJ, Moon PF, Lukasik VM, Erb HN.  The duration of action and hemodynamic properties of mivacurium chloride in dogs anesthetized with halothane. Am J Vet Res 1999, 60(9): 1047-1050.

Smith LJ, Schwark WS, Cook RD, Moon PF, Looney AL. The pharmacokinetic properties of intravenous mivacurium chlorine in dogs anesthetized with halothane. Am J Vet Res 1999, 60(9): 1051-1054.

Smith LJ, Yu J Q-A. A Comparison of Epidural Buprenorphine with Epidural Morphine for Post-Operative Analgesia following Stifle Surgery in Dogs. Vet Anaesth Analg 2001, 28:87-96.

Smith LJ, Yu J Q-A, Bjorling DE, Waller K. The effects of hydromorphone or oxymorphone, with or without acepromazine, on preanesthetic sedation, physiologic properties, and histamine release in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001, 218(7):1101-1105.

Smith LJ, Shih A, Miletic G, and Miletic V. Continual systemic infusion of lidocaine provides analgesia in an animal model of neuropathic pain. Pain 2002, 97:267-273.

Smith LJ, Krugner-Higby L, Heath T, Clark M. A single dose of liposome-encapsulated oxymorphone or morphine provides long-term analgesia in an animal model of neuropathic pain. Comparative Medicine 2003 53(3):280-287.

Krugner-Higby L, Smith LJ, Clark M, Heath TD, Dahly E, Schiffman B, Hubbard-VanStelle S, Ney D, Wendland A. Liposome-encapsulated oxymorphone hydrochloride provides prolonged relief of post-surgical visceral pain in rats. Comparative Medicine 2003 53(3):270-279.

Smith LJ, Bentley E, Shih A, Miller PE. Systemic lidocaine infusion as a preemptive analgesic for intraocular surgery in dogs: a pilot study. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia 2004 31(1):53-64.

Smith LJ, Krugner-Higby L, Trepanier LA, Flaska D, Joers V, Heath TD. Sedative effects and serum drug concentrations of oxymorphone and metabolites after subcutaneous administration of a liposome-encapsulated formulation in dogs. J Vet Pharmacol Therapeut 2004 27:1-4.

Clark MD, Krugner-Higby L, Smith LJ, Heath TD, Clark KL, Olson D. Evaluation of liposome encapsulated (LE) oxymorphone hydrochloride in mice after splenectomy mice. Comparative Medicine, 2004 54(5):518-523.

Accola PJ, Bentley E, Smith LJ, Forrest LJ, Baumel CA, Murphy CJ. Development of a retrobulbar injection technique for ocular surgery and analgesia in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 2006 229(2):220-225.

Smith LJ, Valenzuela JR, Krugner-Higby L, Brown C, Heath TD. A single dose of liposome-encapsulated hydromorphone provides extended relief of hyperalgesia in a rodent model of neuropathic pain. Comparative Medicine, 2006 56(6):487-492.

Kukanich B, Hogan BK, Krugner-Higby LA, Smith LJ. Pharmacokinetics of hydromorphone in healthy dogs. Vet Anesth and Analg, in press.

Shih A, Miletic VA, Miletic G, Smith LJ. Systemic benzodiazepine administration reverses thermal hyperalgesia and prevents GABA transporter loss in a rodent model of neuropathic pain. Anesthesia and Analgesia,  in press.

Smith LJ, Kukanich B, Hogan BK, Brown C, Heath TD, Krugner-Higby L. Pharmacokinetics of a controlled-release liposome-encapsulated hydromorphone given subcutaneously to healthy dogs. Submitted to Am J Vet Research, July 2007.