Pain Therapy for Dogs and Cats
Several studies in
veterinary medicine have shown that dogs and cats experience pain
just as humans do. Pain in animals can be caused by such
things as arthritis, trauma (such as being hit by a car), and
even routine or elective surgical procedures such as spaying,
neutering, and declawing. Human doctors would not even
think about performing a surgical procedure without offering pain
medication to their patients and we here at Greens Fork
Veterinary Hospital believe in offering it to our patients as
well.
Studies have shown that
patients given medication to alleviate pain not only recover more
quickly from surgical procedures but also have less secondary
complications as a result of their surgeries. Pain causes
stress to animals and, just as in humans, stress can lower the
body's immune system defenses and cause a greater possibility of
infection and delayed healing of wounds or surgical sites.
The doctors at Greens Fork
have noticed a distinct difference in patients administered pain
medication after routine surgical procedures such as spaying,
neutering, and declawing. These patients have a tendency to
"bounce back" quicker after surgery then animals whose
owners do not opt for pain medication. We regularly hear
back from owners who feel that pain medication has greatly
enhanced their pet's surgical recovery at home.
Surgical pain therapy for elective procedures
consists of injectable medication while your pet is under
anesthesia and then oral medication for you to give your pet at
home for a few days after surgery. After pain therapy,
owners typically find that their pet is happier and recovers more
quickly then other animals they may have had spayed, neutered, or
declawed without pain therapy in the past.