In coordination with human medicine’s Pain Awareness Month, the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) has designated September as Animal Pain Awareness Month because animals experience pain just as people do.
Unlike people, animals can’t use words to tell us when, where and how much it hurts. Those of us who love them must be alert for signs our patients and pets are in pain and work together to diagnose, treat and manage it.
According to the American College of Veterinary Surgeons—
Pain can be caused by many things:
- physical trauma, such as falling down or being hit by something
- internal organ problems, such as intestinal upset or kidney blockage
- surgical procedures, such as abdominal surgery or bone surgery
- brain or spine problems, such as a slipped disc, pinched nerve or headache
- degenerative changes, such as arthritis and joint damage
An article in Today’s Veterinary Practice explains—
Pain is typically classified as acute or chronic:
Acute pain is broadly defined as pain that lasts for a short period of time and usually subsides after the inflammatory and healing processes are completed.
Chronic pain is a more complex phenomenon, and can last much longer than acute pain (up to lifelong).
Acute pain after an injury or surgery is relatively easy to recognize and address in a timely way. Chronic pain is often more subtle in its onset and progression and easier to ignore or explain away simply as age-related “slowing down.”
In a report titled “Pain in Pets: Beyond Physiology,” published by the National Institutes of Health, researchers note, “Acute pain that is not appropriately addressed can evolve into chronic (long-lasting) maladaptive pain.”
That’s why, at Brownsburg Animal Clinic, we take a proactive, compassionate approach to pain relief. We believe we owe it to our patients to recognize their potential to experience pain and help our clients learn the symptoms they, as the people who know their pets best of all, are in the best position to observe and report back to our veterinarians and technicians.
Then it’s up to us to provide our patients the help they need without delay to ease acute pain, stop or at least slow further progression toward chronic pain and do our best to restore and maintain their optimum comfort and quality of life over the long term.
Signs Your Dog May Be Hurting
- Changes in sleeping patterns
- Decreasing activity
- Interacting less with family and other pets
- Irritability or aggressiveness
- Lameness or limping after exercise
- Lagging behind on walks
- Not moving from one spot
- Hiding, perhaps in other-than-usual places
- Exhibiting tense, pained facial expressions
- Ears flattened against the head
- Crying or whining
- Growling when approached
- Hunched-up body
- Restlessness, inability to get comfortable, changing positions frequently
- Heavy panting
- Reluctance to jump up or go up and down stairs
- Stiffness
- Difficulty standing after lying down
- Difficulty maintaining positions to urinate and defecate
- Showing less interest in eating and drinking
- Shaking and trembling
Signs Your Cat May Be Hurting
- Hissing or spitting
- Scratching or biting
- Growling and/or purring
- Irritability or aggressiveness
- Loss of agility and flexibility
- Changes in customary resting places
- Reluctance to jump and visit favorite high places
- Excessive licking, grooming or chewing
- Decreased grooming that suggests difficulty in twisting the body
- Trouble climbing in and out of the litter box
- Difficulty maintaining positions to urinate and defecate
- Crying or whining
- Hunched-up body
- Stiff, tense posture
- Restlessness, inability to get comfortable, changing positions frequently
- Faster, heavier breathing
- Decreased eating and drinking
- Shaking and trembling
As these lists indicate, expressions of pain may be many and varied, with each animal’s response unique to the individual. Many dogs and cats instinctively hide pain—some more than others—so it’s important to pay attention to even minor changes in what you know to be your pet’s normal behavior, activity levels and routines.
What To Do if You See Signs of Pain
- Make an appointment to see one of our veterinarians as soon as you can.
- Note the signs and symptoms you’re seeing so you can provide the veterinarian as much detailed information as possible to help diagnose the source of the pain and determine the best course of treatment.
- Limit your pet’s activity to reduce the risk of further pain or injury.
What Not To Do
Do not give medicines—especially pain-relieving drugs meant for humans—to your pet.
Managing Pain
Since their approval for veterinary use, beginning in the 1990s, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have become central to treating and managing post-operative and chronic pain in animals.
Opioids and other pain-relieving drugs may be prescribed in some cases.
Sedatives may be used to keep your pet calm and activity levels low.
New drugs continue to be developed and approved for veterinary use as do other treatment modalities.
Immobilization may be used to treat injuries like fractures or wounds, with a bandage, splint or cast put in place to keep your pet from moving and causing more injury and pain.
Local therapies, such as cold and warm compresses, massage, range-of-motion exercises, ultrasound and laser treatments may be used at the surgery site or site of the injury to help relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
Rehabilitation therapies can be used to treat both new and chronic pain, with exercises by a qualified veterinary rehab specialist to help your pet recover from an existing injury and prevent new injuries from happening.
Whatever combination of treatment modalities we recommend and implement, we will need to monitor your pet to make sure pain is being effectively reduced and there are few, if any, side effects. This may mean frequent follow-up visits, tests and/or drug and dosage adjustments. Otherwise, your pet may experience continuing pain and possibly severe complications.
About Those NSAIDs
In an article, “What Veterinarians Should Advise Clients about Pain Control and Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in Dogs and Cats,” The Food and Drug Administration notes—
Recognizing and controlling pain in dogs and cats are important parts of companion animal medicine. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a mainstay of pain management, but these drugs can cause side effects, some of which can be serious. Veterinarians are in the best position to inform dog and cat owners about these side effects and should discuss the benefits as well as the risks of an NSAID with their client before prescribing it for a patient.
Should we prescribe an NSAID to relieve your pet’s pain, we will emphasize the importance of following our dosing instructions to the letter and never adjusting the dosage on your own or giving other prescription or over-the-counter drugs we don’t know about.
For long-term use of an NSAID, we will recommend regular check-ups, complete with blood and urine tests to confirm the drug is safe for continued use.
Meanwhile, side effects to look out for include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, depression and lethargy. If your pet is taking an NSAID and you observe any of these indications, stop administering the drug and call us immediately.
Why Treating Pain Is So Important
On their pain management webpage, the American College of Veterinary Surgeons writes—
Pain and its effects can slow recovery and prolong illness if it is not treated appropriately. This can lead to chronic issues that may require more intensive and invasive treatments. It may also make some treatments ineffective or more costly. Painful illnesses in a pet’s life may make future illness or injuries more difficult to treat. Your pet may have a bad memory of veterinary care he/she received, and be fearful or aggressive the next time they need treatment. Therefore, pain should not be viewed as a ‘good’ treatment to prevent pets from being too active and all illnesses and injury that cause pain should be appropriately treated….
If pain goes away quickly and is minor enough, the negative impact is slight. As the duration and/or severity of pain rises, all of the negative impacts start to add up, and pets need our help.
Where We Stand on Pain Management for Your Pet
In summarizing the current state of pain management in veterinary medicine, the American College of Veterinary Surgeons concludes—
The veterinary profession is sufficiently advanced to recognize and successfully manage pain in our patients. We have medications, techniques and experience that can be customized to the species and the medical condition; current standard of care allows for the vast majority of patients to be made comfortable the majority of the time. Pet owners should feel empowered to be part of the medical decision-making regarding this, and other, aspects of their pet’s medical care. From the common spay procedure to the complex trauma case, reserve the time for these pain management discussions with your primary care veterinarian or your veterinary surgeon.
At Brownsburg Animal Clinic, we are fully prepared to prioritize easing our patients’ acute and chronic pain according to our profession’s current and emerging best practices.
In alignment with our veterinary surgeon colleagues, we commit to managing our patients’ pain and encourage you to collaborate with us on formulating an effective, individualized pain management plan for your pet.