September is Pain Awareness Month
The statistics for people and animals living with pain are not great. Yet many pets are not under treatment for their pain, both long and short term.
So, how can the Veterinary profession help you and your pet to manage pain?
One of the barriers is people think they, or their pet, are "broken" if they need more than one or two medicines. Other barriers include thoughts like "you get used to the pain" (yes, but that's not a good thing!), "animals don't feel pain", and financial aspects (a topic for another day). Managing pain can be tricky to get "right" but is so rewarding.
Do you know that pets don't show pain in the way we think they do? What do I mean by that?
Three of the main things I have heard are:
they aren't crying
they're still eating and drinking
they still want to go for walks (if a dog), or can climb on the bed (etc.)
The first two often don't happen - unless the pain is really bad. In my experience, a lot of animals go quiet when in pain and don’t make much noise at all.
Walks often continue because our dogs want to please us - we spend years getting excited about "walkies!!" so our dogs want to do what makes us all happy - our pets are so wonderful!
Some pain is obvious - broken bones, wounds. Other pain isn't quite so obvious... A good question to ask is "would it cause me pain if it happened to me?". If the answer is "yes", then we can safely say that most the time that pain will affect your pet.
Sometimes, if a chronic condition (arthritis, skin problems) is caught early enough, modifying behaviour and your home can be sufficient at the start, and you use medicine as it's needed. There are also therapies like hydro, physio, acupuncture and laser that can help at any stage of a treatment plan. Modifications are often easy to set up so don't worry!
For acute pain (ear conditions, dental problems, and more), if the Vet advises the condition could be painful, get some pain relief. If you're unsure, ask - no question is too silly and you are there to speak up (shout out!) for your little family members. You may find that adding pain relief to the treatment plan that your Vet recommends can make the treatment plan easier to achieve. You'll definitely get your pet to settle, and hopefully heal, quicker - a good sleep can help everyone feel better!
Some good links to help you assess if your pet is in pain include:
Remember your pet is individual and you, as their owner and parent, know them better than anyone else. Look for the little changes in their behaviour, movement, habits… All those little (or sometimes big) changes mean something – it is then for us as owners and Veterinary professionals to figure out what those changes mean.
As a District RVN, I can help you plan for and manage your pet's medical conditions, which can include pain management. I am here to help guide you, without judgement, to ensure the best quality of life we can achieve.
For acute pain (sudden, short term) I can help you administer medication, provide laser therapy to the area, help with any on-going/ preventative care that may be needed, and help with desensitisation techniques (who’s pet hates their ears being touched, especially after a bad experience?!).
For chronic pain/ care (long term, slowly builds up) I can help you to make adjustments to your lifestyle and home, administer laser therapy to the area(s), help you assess pain and quality of life markers, and more.
If your pet has been diagnosed by your Vet with ANY condition, please get in touch to discuss how to help your pet in the short and long term. You'd be surprised how much some small changes can make to your pet's quality of life.
Text, call, WhatsApp 07769382102
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This is not an alternative service to your Vet, but one that works alongside your Vet, under direction and referral.
I do not routinely provide out of hours care so if you need urgent assistance please call your Vet.
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