Pain is a difficult symptom to treat sometimes, especially in animals. A dog or cat has a natural instinct to hide pain due to an inherent ability to not attract predators. It can be hard to tell if your pet is in pain, but there are some clues such as whimpering, loss of appetite and problems moving around normally.
Pain management care covers many types of pain that our animals may experience. There is acute pain associated with injury or surgery. This type of pain may require strong pain medicines and monitoring by our experienced doctors at Lee Veterinary Hospital. Usually our pets are off pain medicine after a short period and are as good as new. However, some pets, including older animals, may suffer from chronic pain. Chronic pain may be due to degenerative joint disease or arthritis. Typically, as pet owners, we will notice when our dog is having a hard time sitting or moving into a standing position. As a rule, cats will be immobile and not have the energy or willpower to move most of the day. If you notice this behavior, then a low dose of daily pain medication may be necessary for your pet to function as normally as possible.
There are some alternative methods to pain control. These may include steroids, laser therapy, and even acupuncture to relieve stress in muscles and joints. Laser therapy is a short, non-invasive procedure where pulses of laser energy are focused on your pet’s area of pain. This procedure has been shown to decrease inflammation and pain for a period of time. If you live in Cullman, Vinemont, Fairview, West Point, or Good Hope, Alabama, ask our doctors at Lee Veterinary Hospital what is the best method for treating your pet’s pain.