Good news: Pain control for pets is more effective than ever
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunhera...h/10267814.htm
Good news: Pain control for pets is more effective than ever
Now, more than ever, pet owners are demanding the best possible care for their pets. Diagnostic testing and treatment options, now commonplace, were unimaginable several years ago. One area that has advanced significantly in veterinary medicine is that of pain control.
The prevailing sentiment for many years was that animals "don't feel pain the way we do." Many veterinarians once thought that if we controlled pain too well that the animals would realize it and only further hurt themselves. I am proud to say my profession has changed its way of thinking, and adequate pain control is now considered the standard of care.
Since the veterinary community and the pet-owning public have demanded advances in pain control, drug companies have responded by providing a steady stream of pain-relieving medications for veterinary use. Most of these products are in the NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) category. These kinds of drugs control pain by decreasing inflammation, and are particularly well suited for controlling joint and muscle pain. NSAIDs are most commonly used to treat arthritic conditions such as hip dysplasia, but they are finding more use in treating post-operative pain.
Beyond oral medications, many other pain-control options exist for today's veterinarian. Many veterinarians are able to perform nerve blocks to relieve or prevent pain (in small animal medicine, these are particularly useful in dental procedures).
Some veterinarians are even able to perform epidurals to alleviate pain associated with surgery of the rear legs and tail. Another technique favored by some vets, myself included, is to add pain medication to IV fluids to allow for a continuous dose of pain relief.
The concept of preemptive analgesia is now very prevalent in veterinary practice. Simply put, we strive to prevent pain before it happens, such as the pain associated with surgery. By providing pain control before, during and after the procedure, we can greatly increase our patient's comfort and can actually use lower doses of both pain meds and anesthetic agents.
We have also learned that by combining medicines that control pain in different ways, we can treat pain much more effectively and with more moderate dosing.
In my practice, I know pain control has improved radically over the last five to six years, and I expect it will continue to as medicines and techniques advance further.
