Analgesics Position Statement

The American Animal Hospital Association recommends that veterinarians routinely administer appropriate analgesics to minimize pain in their patients.

Analgesics need to be used preemptively for any medical condition or veterinary procedure associated with pain and for as long as necessary to prevent pain during recovery. AAHA agrees with The American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists that if a procedure is painful to humans it will be painful to animals. For a full discussion on this topic, please consult the AAHA/AAFP Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats.

Pain medication for dogs

Medication can be used to treat chronic or acute pain in dogs.
Chronic pain is associated with conditions such as arthritis or dysplasia:
Acute pain may be caused by surgery or injury. Some medications are used for both types of pain. Continue for pain medication charts and comparisons. Continue reading Pain medication for dogs

Post op pain management

Chronic Pain — A Veterinary Frontier
April 1, 2003

Many post-surgical patients at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania wear patches on their rumps, sticky plasters that slowly release painkillers into the animal’s bloodstream through the skin. The animals appear to be calm and comfortable. They don’t fret, pant or whine. Continue reading Post op pain management

Pain management

Pain management

While it is true that post op pain limits the dog’s mobility so that they will be more sedentary, narcotic analgesia will also make the dog feel more lethargic without experiencing undue pain. If your dog is having surgery, we recommend that you treat your canine friend with kindness and ask your vet to prescribe a post op narcotics. Continue reading Pain management