Effective pain management is key for a smooth recovery after your pet’s surgery. Pain control ensures comfort, accelerates healing, and facilitates a quicker return to activity. The Central Houston Animal Hospital team shares how we integrate pain management strategies before, during, and after surgery to give your furry pal a head start in their recovery.

Pain management before pet surgery

Preemptive analgesia is the administration of pain medications before pain begins, which allows the medications to work more effectively. Waiting until the pain sets in means your pet needs higher medication doses or additional medications, because the nervous system becomes sensitized to the pain. Pre-operative pain medications also help calm your pet, reducing their anxiety and stress and the anesthetic doses required during surgery. Lower anesthetic doses lead to fewer side effects, such as heart rhythm or breathing disturbances, during surgery, and help your pet wake up faster after surgery.

Pain management after pet surgery

Pain and discomfort have several adverse effects on a pet post-surgery. First, pain discourages pets from moving, and although activity restriction helps protect a surgical site, complete inactivity can be counter-productive. Second, pain is stressful, and stress hormones can slow down healing and cause emotional discomfort. Effective pain relief encourages pets to eat, perform routine daily activities, and participate in therapeutic stretching, range of motion, or gentle exercise, as our veterinary surgeons or rehabilitation team prescribes. Additionally, controlling pain discourages pets from licking or chewing at their surgical sites, helping to reduce infection risk.

Pet pain management strategies

Combining several pain management methods (i.e., a multimodal approach) is the best surgical pain control. A combination often produces synergistic effects that control pain more effectively  than each strategy would alone. Different methods also target various pain pathways and reduce side effects by lowering each medication’s required dose. 

Pain management combinations may include drug and non-drug methods, such as:

  • NSAIDs Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain. 
  • Analgesics — Analgesics, such as opioids and gabapentin, target pain signals from the brain and nervous system.
  • Local anesthetics — Local anesthetics numb the surgical site and may have extended-release properties that continue working for several days.
  • Therapeutic exercise — Stretching and passive range of motion can help in the days following surgery. After the initial healing phase, progressive exercise helps rebuild strength and mobility.
  • Rehabilitation and alternative therapiesHydrotherapy, ultrasound, shockwave therapy, magnetic fields, acupuncture, laser therapy, and manual therapies performed in a rehabilitation setting can reduce pain and inflammation and speed healing.

Monitoring your pet’s recovery

Your pet’s pain management and rehabilitation strategy will likely change as recovery progresses. Our veterinary team will monitor your pet’s response to pain relief strategies and adjust them accordingly. You should also watch for signs that could indicate your furry pal is in pain, including:

  • Restlessness
  • Vocalization
  • Reduced activity
  • Reduced appetite
  • Behavior changes
  • Favoring or guarding the surgery site

Communicate concerns to our veterinary team promptly, so we can assess your pet’s progress and adjust pain medications as needed. Recovery from orthopedic surgery can take several months. Adhering to your pet’s treatment plan and attending scheduled follow-ups will keep your pet on the path to long-term and complete recovery.

Pain management is crucial for a comfortable surgery and smooth post-operative recovery. Our Central Houston Animal Hospital team focuses on preemptively controlling your pet’s discomfort so they will move around after their procedure. Our hospital also offers extensive post-operative rehabilitation services, including laser therapy, water treadmill, and therapeutic exercise. Contact us for more information about surgery at CHAH or to schedule a surgical or rehabilitation consultation.