Pain Management
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It was not too long ago that doctors thought pain was good for the animal. It was believed that the pain helped keep and animals adequately quiet for the healing process. I was also thought that one could not know whether or not a pet was feeling pain or needed pain relief. Thankfully today veterinary medicine has made much advancement in the approach to patient care.

Pain management; also know as analgesic care, as become an issue on the forefront of veterinary medicine. Veterinary institutions continue to study pain our pets experience and how to better manage the pain. From these studies we know that providing effective analgesic medications speed the recovery process, whether the discomfort is a result of a surgical procedure or trauma. For longer term pain management proper analgesics can reduce the pets stress and increase its sense of wellbeing.

Pain affects pets in different ways. Discomfort that comes on suddenly as a result of trauma, surgical procedure, or infection is called Acute pain. This discomfort can limit the pets’ mobility and be extremely uncomfortable. With proper analgesic care this pain can be temporary and resolved within a short amount of time.

Pain that is longer lasting and develops over a longer period is called Chronic pain. One of the most common examples of this chronic pain is experienced by our geriatric pets as they develop arthritis. In fact 20% of our adult canine population has arthritis. Chronic pain is also associated with illnesses such as bone disease and cancer. Chronic pain is something that the pet and family end up dealing with for a long period of time. This pain develops slowly and animals may gradually learn to tolerate the pain and live without it making it hard for the family to identify the problem.

Generally pet’s look to please their owner. They will look past there own discomforts to fulfill their owner’s requests and desires. This can make identifying your pets discomfort difficult. So how do you know when your pet's in pain?

Because our pets cannot vocalize their discomfort signs
that you can observe for are:

- Being unusually quiet, listless, restless, or unresponsive
- Whining, whimpering, howling, or constantly meowing
- Biting
- Constantly licking a particular part of the body
- Acting odd and out of character, either aggressively or submissively
- Flattening ears against the head
- Trouble sleeping or eating
- Needy or seeking a more affection/attention than usual
- Reluctance to walk, run, climb stairs, jump or play
- Lagging behind on walks
- Reluctance to extend rear legs
- Sluggishness
- Tiredness
- Low activity
- Aggressive or withdrawn behavior
- Other personality or behavioral changes

Canine arthritis can affect all breeds of dogs, but there
are certain risk factors you should be aware of, including:

- Overweight dogs
- Large or giant breeds
- Over the age of 5
- Breed inherited traits, such as hip dysplasia
- Levels of high activity for long periods of time
- Joint trauma

If you suspect your pet might be hurting, call and schedule an appointment so we may help you figure out the problem and to talk
about what options are available. Be prepared to answer questions
about your pet's behavior, activity level, and tolerance for being handled.

Analgesic medications are the standard form of treatment for pain and discomfort. New medications are always presented to the market and
we do our best to follow the research so that we know which will be the best for your pets’ condition. It in the past steroids was used for its
anti-inflammatory purposes to reduce pain and discomfort, but steroid medications come with their own adverse side effects. While effective
for some things as a short-term treatment, a prolonged period of usage
is not recommended. Today we can treat long-term pain with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) medications with fewer side
effects than steroids.

Whether you choose complementary or traditional medical practices, your treatment decision should take into account the side effects and the amount of time necessary for each treatment option. The best treatment you'll find is the one that's personalized to the needs of you and your pet.

Here are links to a few of the medications we use to make your pet more comfortable:
Adequan Canine (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan)
Rimadyl
Previcox