What methods are used to control pain in animals?
Many different types of pain control are available for animals. The particular type of pain control chosen for your animal is dependent upon the type of procedure, the source or location of the pain, and the animal’s particular health issues. It is not unusual that more than one type of pain control may be used in an animal. This is called a multimodal approach to pain therapy and it is often a more effective way to achieve excellent pain relief. Pain control is most often achieved with injectable drugs like narcotics and local anesthetics, either by periodic injection under the skin or in a continuous drip through intravenous fluids. Oral medications can be used as well, including certain types of narcotics and NSAID’s which are aspirin-like drugs. It is common especially for orthopedic procedures for an animal to be given an epidural injection of pain drugs. Also pain medication can be delivered through the skin with a drug-impregnated patch that can stay in place for several days.
