One of the toughest challenges of a dog owner is managing a beloved pet’s pain. In my pack comprising mainly senior dogs, arthritis pain has been my top concern for sometime now. Of course, there is also pain from a multitude of issues – a bad fall, minor surgeries, wounds, and serious diseases such as cancer.
Thankfully, pain management for dogs has improved dramatically in the Philippines in the past decade. This is definitely a major relief for me (and all our dogs, of course). I am still haunted by memories of my childhood and teenage dogs struggling with pain while I watched helplessly, unable to offer them anything to alleviate their suffering.
Definitely, my dogs have it much better now because of the advances in veterinary medicine. Chocnut and Panda, who both had arthritis, managed to get up and walk without assistance after taking Carprofen. Misty responded well to Previcox. Schatzi did well on Meloxicam when she had surgery. I could go on and on.
If you think your dog is in any pain, you should definitely ask your vet for pain management options. I’ve learned that not all vets are proactive about pain management, but you should broach it if you think it is necessary. Not all vet clinics carry pain medications but just search around for those that do – the larger and more modern ones are sure to have them.
A few things to keep in mind when managing pain in your dog:
- Pain medications are prescription drugs and should not be taken without a veterinarian’s advice. As with humans, too much pain medication can be toxic to your dog. Your vet would take other matters into consideration before dispensing these to your dog.
- Know what’s causing your dog’s pain. It’s not enough to give pain medication; you need to identify its root cause. While there are instances when the cause of the pain is something fleeting – perhaps an injury – there are those caused by chronic or serious matters that need to be addressed. Your vet will help you with this.
- Follow instructions. Pain medications may interact with other medications your dog is taking so don’t play around with what your vet instructs you to do.
Pinoy Dog Mom 