At Sault Ste. Marie Animal Clinic, we incorporate a comprehensive pain protocol (ie pain killers) into the anesthetic regime for any procedure that could potentially cause pain or discomfort to the patient. Research shows that it is much more desirable and effective to prevent the pet from experiencing any pain by administering analgesics (pain killers) before, during and after a surgical procedure rather than waiting for the pet to show obvious signs of pain or discomfort. One technique we have found to be particularly helpful in potentially painful procedures such as orthopedic surgery is to use epidural (spinal) analgesia.
Chronic Pain Management:
The good news is, pets are living longer and healthier lives than ever before….now we need to make sure they are comfortable and enjoying a good quality of life. Arthritis is very common in pets as they get older, even in cats. It is caused and aggravated by a number of factors including genetics, diet, activity level, injuries and plain old age. In the past we were limited as to what we could offer a pet suffering from arthritis because often the side effects were disastrous; stomach upset and ulcers, kidney or liver failure and bleeding disorders. Fortunately, due to research and advances in both human and veterinary medicine, we now have a wide variety of safe and effective products that control pain and stiffness and keep your arthritic pet enjoying life to the fullest. Research has also shown that using multiple products and therapies together will often result in even further improvement. For example, your arthritic pet may benefit tremendously from a combination of a calorie control diet to help them lose weight, a supplement such as glucosamine to help lubricate the joints and an anti-inflammatory medication such as Metacam or Rimadyl to control inflammation and pain. If that doesn’t keep him or her comfortable, there are even more options available! Please don’t assume that your older pet is “just slowing down or getting old”, there may be a lot we can do to help keep them comfortable.
