Pain Management
One of the hardest areas of medicine when it comes to animals is pain management. Animals have a natural instinct to hide pain due to the predator/prey history they have inherited from their ancestors. Signs to look for at home are lack of appetite, whining when eating, lethargy and in some extreme cases unusual aggression.
Pain is usually classified into 2 broad categories: acute and chronic. Acute pain is usually due to a trauma or injury and can be excruciating to your pet. In these cases, surgery may be needed to correct the problem, but then pain management is used to keep pain to a minimum. Higher doses, but shorter term pain medication can be given orally to your pet. Chronic pain is attributed to arthritis, cancer, joint disease and other age-related issues. In the case of chronic pain rehabilitation may be recommended or long-term but low dosage pain medication treatment. In any case, your pet will be well cared for by the trained and compassionate doctors at Bay Animal Clinic.