Treatment of Pain

• At Valley Veterinary Services a main focus is to help to minimize pain in our companion animals.  If this pain originates from surgical procedures, we ensure that this pain will be minimized to a point that your pet will experience no more discomfort than is absolutely unavoidable.  This is acheived through a balanced approach to pain control.  We ensure that appropriate medications are selected for each individual and administered before, during and after the procedure.  In addition, we will provide you with one or more medications that will help to reduce pain, anxiety and inflammation while healing at home.  Through this approach you can be assured that your pet will heal as quickly as possible with the least amount of discomfort possible.

• Treatment of pain must be tailored to the individual animal, and should based, in part, on the species, breed, age, procedure performed and degree of tissue trauma, individual behavioral characteristics, degree of pain, health status, and availability of drugs and techniques. Selection of the most appropriate analgesic drug or technique requires professional veterinary judgement as to which drug or technique best meets the clinical and humane requirements of the individual animal. The overall therapeutic approach may use a combination of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches. Pharmacologic approaches involve use of drugs with known analgesic properties, such as opioids, a-2 agonists, local anesthetics, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Drugs with sedative properties (eg, acepromazine maleate) generally lack analgesic properties, but may be needed to decrease anxiety and enhance the efficacy of concurrently administered analgesics. Sedatives and tranquilizers should not be relied on as sole sources of analgesia. The specific agents to be administered, and the dose, route, and frequency of administration are tailored to the individual animal. It is well established that the dose of an analgesic needed to control pain varies a great deal from individual to individual and that the duration of action of the drug also varies greatly. Consequently it is important to monitor the effects of therapy carefully and modify the dose or frequency of administration according to the needs of the animal. Administering analgesic drugs before the onset of pain (preemptive analgesia) may allow for better control of pain during the postoperative period. Although all analgesics, tranquilizers, and local anesthetics possess some undesirable properties, deleterious adverse effects can be minimized by selection of appropriate drugs and dosages for given individuals. Use of a combination of analgesic drugs from different drug classes (ie, multimodal analgesia) may greatly enhance analgesic effects while allowing for reduced dosages and minimizing adverse effects.

• Nonpharmacological approaches to alleviating pain in animals include good husbandry practices, nutritional support, acupuncture, and allowing interaction with owners (companion animals). Animals should be kept in clean, well-ventilated areas with as little stress as possible. Careful attention should be made to ensure that nutritional needs are met. For companion animals, interactions with care givers may decrease stress and allow the animal to better cope with pain. Concurrent illnesses or injuries should be treated in accordance with good veterinary practices.