Pain Management
Understanding pain is an important part of pain management. There are two different types of pain in pets - acute pain and chronic pain.
Acute pain comes on suddenly as a result of an injury, surgery, inflammation or infection. It can be extremely uncomfortable for your pet and it may limit her mobility. The good news is that it's usually temporary and goes away when the condition that causes it is treated.
Chronic pain is by definition pain that lasts longer than two weeks. It can result from acute pain that goes untreated or it can develop more slowly. Animals that suffer from chronic pain often have subtle clinical signs that collectively make them appear older than they really are. And the longer the pain goes on, the harder it is to control so we always want to treat this pain early.
Signs that your pet might be in pain include:
- Depression and/or inactivity
- Rising slowly or "collapsing" to lie down
- Walking with a stiff gait, especially after getting up
- Standing or sitting in unusual positions
- Trembling
- Inappropriate elimination
- Whining, whimpering, howling, or constantly meowing
- Constantly licking or chewing at a particular part of the body
- Acting aggresively
We know that recognizing and alleviating pain in animals is the essence of good patient care. We offer a variety of pain management including a therapy laser and medical modalities at Town and Country Animal Clinic.