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The relief of animals’ suffering is part of
the veterinary oath when doctors are admitted into the
profession. Just like all of veterinary medicine, pain manage-ment
has become more advanced. In fact, we now administer multimodal
pain management. Multimodal pain management means the
combination of two or more synergistic medications working
together to alleviate pain in our patients. Pain medications
are administered prior to, during, and after the procedure.
The ability to treat pain depends on our
ability to recognize pain in our patients. Animals cannot
respond as people do if asked to rate their pain on a scale from
1 to 10. The following information helps owners and animal care
givers to identify pain and classify it at home and in the
hospital. This classification of pain enables us as
veterinarians to adjust or add medication to ensure that your
pet is comfortable.
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PAIN LEVEL |
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OBSERVATIONS |
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None |
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No pain |
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Relaxed and freely moving |
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Does not notice the surgical site |
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Normal attention to the environment |
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Interactive, normal behavior |
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Mild |
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Limps or guards affected area |
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Slightly depressed |
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May pant or breathe hard |
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Dogs may still wag tail,
and cats may still purr |
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Moderate |
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Depressed, trembling, head down |
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Loss of appetite |
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May cry or bite when touched |
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Abdomen tense |
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May assume the prayer position |
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Doesn’t sleep |
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Severe |
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More vocalization and depression |
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Unaware of surroundings |
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May thrash about intermittently |
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May scream when approached |
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Increased heart rate and respiration |
We
recommend that any patient displaying signs of moderate or
severe pain be evaluated at our hospital. Some of these
patients may need to be hospitalized for aggressive multimodal
pain control. For surgical procedures, pain medication is
often given prior to, during, and after the
procedure. This is especially important for extensive soft
tissue and orthopedic procedures.
Veterinarians have a number of different
classes of drugs to aid in the multimodal therapy. These range
from local nerve blocks, to the use of alpha-2 antagonist drugs,
to opioids, to non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, to gas anesthesia.
With the modern advances in pain management
and treatment, our pets no longer have to suffer needless pain.
It is very important to let your veterinarian prescribe modern
pain medication for your pets. Keep in mind that most human pain medications that
are available over-the-counter at drug stores are harmful to your pets. Pets
metabolize drugs differently than humans and therefore, need
medication that has been researched and approved specifically
for them.
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