MANAGING PAIN: MORE THAN JUST A PILL

Managing pain takes a multimodal & holistic approach

I’ve cared for a lot of dogs with chronic pain, worked in rehab, and most of the dogs in my caseload are pain cases. And my own dog Biscuit has chronic pain. And we know that pain is a major contributing factor in a huge percentage of behaviour cases, and it severely impacts quality of life.

Pain is complex and hard to assess. And our dogs deserve proactive and robust pain management. Gone are the days when we simply give them metacam when they limp.

As an example, here is everything I do for Biscuit:
(obligatory not a vet, not advice on what you should do. Just an example)

• Thorough workup by a sports medicine vet

• Daily meds

• Additional meds as needed (two different types)

• Regular GP vet check ups

• Regular massage, both from me and a professional massage therapist

• Daily physio exercises

• Proper warm ups and cool downs with exercise

• Minimize high impact activities

• Back on track coat

• Regular laser treatments

Time and again, I see monumental change in my client dogs when their pain is treated. Dogs with serious, life limiting behaviour problems, sometimes who never had glaring signs of pain like limping or flinching.

And fair enough, if I had untreated nerve pain I’d probably bite people too.

Our dogs exist because of us, it is our obligation to provide our dogs with a high quality of life. Being proactive and thorough in our approach to pain is the least we can do.