Pet Management: How To Relief Pain In Dogs

It is easy for humans to seek medical attention whenever they feel ill. Unfortunately, it’s not always so straightforward for dogs, as it can sometimes take a while for pet owners to discover that their dog is suffering from pain. Dogs are wonderful friends to pet owners, and for some they are the best companions. So it is absolutely necessary to timely identify the pain a dog is experiencing, and seek suitable pain relief for dogs to restore the pet to its natural cheerful self.

To relieve pain in dogs, consider the following points:

Observing Signs Of Discomfort And Pain

Pain among pets can be either physical or emotional. The first step to relieve pain in dogs is to determine that a dog is indeed in pain, and figure out what type of pain it is. You cannot hope to relieve pain that you don’t know about. Since your dog cannot speak, it can be distressing for you to identify the source of its discomfort. You can help your pet by first listing down all the signs that you observe. If you are uncertain, you can ask a veterinarian to guide you to recognize the potential signs of pain. Your dog may be in pain if it displays any of the following symptoms:

• Reduced or poor appetite and deteriorating eating habits.
• Panting or barking excessively without an apparent reason.
• Restlessness, whining or quietness, inactivity, and symptoms of withdrawal.
• Limping and difficulty in movement while walking, running, or climbing elevated places.
• A sudden negative change in personality, like becoming docile instead of aggressive when strangers or unfamiliar faces approach.
• Constantly scratching parts of the body, such as ears and certain body organs.

Consulting A Veterinarian

After identifying unusual behaviors in your dog that suggest the presence of pain, consult a good veterinarian. Share the details of everything unusual you observed during the examination. You may skip this step if you are able to immediately engage the veterinarian to observe the signs for you, although that would come at additional costs.

The purpose of a quick consultation is for the veterinarian to assess whether the signs are mild or severe so to plan an appropriate response regarding the condition of your dog.

You can invite a mobile pet doctor to pay a visit to your dog, or schedule an appointment with a veterinarian to physically examine the condition of your pet. The veterinarian will write a report on the condition of the dog, and recommend solutions you can implement to relieve the dog of its pain.

Some of the common causes of pains among dogs include:

• Suffering from terminal illness due to infections or old age.
• Damaged ribs and other parts of the body that contain bones.
• Infections that cause ears and other parts of the body to become itchy.
• Swallowing indigestible objects that cause indigestion.
• Stress from the loss of a partner, that could either be a fellow dog or the death of its owner.
• Damaged internal body organs like the liver, lungs, and kidney.
• Corroded stomach walls that cause ulcers and make the walls porous.

Determining The Ideal Pain Relief Solutions And Applying Them

The veterinarian will prepare a prescription for the possible solution depending on the kind of pain the dog is experiencing. Pay close attention to their expert counsel and therapeutic recommendations. In most cases, pet owners overlook the emotional pain that pets suffer and focus on their physical pain instead, so be careful about this aspect.

Addressing Physical Pain

You can use conventional medicine to alleviate the pain of your dog or settle for home remedies. The type of pain and intensity will serve as a guide for the choice you will pick.

Administer recommended nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (or NSAIDs) to relieve your dog of body pain, any swelling, or feelings of stiffness. Monitor the condition as you administer the drug and report any suspicious responses to your veterinarian. Different dogs respond differently to various types of NSAIDs. If the NSAID you are administering does not work efficiently, promptly alert your veterinarian to order a replacement.

Relieving Mild Pain And Discomfort

Do not use NSAIDs approved for humans for your dog. They can be toxic and could cause potential damage to the internal organs of your dog.

Follow the FDA or Food and Drug Administration’s “BEST” observation strategy while administering NSAIDs to detect any irregular changes in your dog. FDA’s BEST technique suggests taking note of any behavioral changes, reduced food consumption, changes in skin color, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, and abnormal stools.

Sometimes, it might be necessary to change the dog’s diet to relieve inflammation of the joints. Veterinarian Dr. Donna Solomon suggests feeding your dog foods rich in Omega-3s to address joint pains.

Addressing Pain Arising From Allergies And Arthritis

Follow your veterinarian’s advice to carefully administer corticosteroid drugs to relieve your dog from discomfort arising from allergies and arthritis. Follow through FDA’s BEST technique to ensure that you discontinue the drugs upon noticing any adverse signs.

Addressing Chronic Pains

Use opioids drugs to relieve your dog of severe pain. Such pains result from carcinogenic infections and advanced developments in arthritis. Some of them include hydromorphone, fentanyl, and morphine. Apply them under the strict guidance of the dog’s veterinarian to curb the development of further complications.

Addressing Emotional Pain

If the veterinarian determines that part of the pain the dog is battling is emotional, pay close attention and keenly implement the suggested measures to alleviate that kind of a pain because it can be destructive in the long run and change the dog’s life forever.

If the pain is a result of the death of the dog’s partner, you might acquire another pet to keep the dog company and avoid loneliness. If the pain is resulting from the loss of its master or the person who was closest to it, then you need to find out what that other person was doing for the dog so that you revive the trend. For instance:

• If the dog’s friend used to take it for a walk often, then make a point of taking it for a walk.
• If the individual would groom the dog regularly and clean its residence, then work towards grooming it regularly and maintaining the cleanliness of its residence.
• If the one closest to the dog used to serve the dog’s food in a timely and adequate manner, then make a point of ensuring the dog gets its food on time and in the right quantities.
• It could also be that the one closest to the dog used to play with it regularly, so you could consider reviving the playtime. You can try to find out the types of plays it formerly engaged in, and come up with newer and more interesting ones.

Conclusion

Relieving pain in dogs starts by identifying unusual signs in its behavior that suggest the presence of pain. Remember, a dog can suffer from both physical and emotional pain. Consult a veterinarian to assess the condition of the dog from the information you provide in order to prescribe a suitable remedy. Administer the pain alleviation solutions carefully, observing closely for any sudden changes, and report them to your veterinarian for advice.

Ashley Diaz

Ashley Diaz is a pet lover who has spent her life fostering abandoned cats and dogs. Ashley shares her experience with her pets by writing a wide variety of pet-related articles online – from how to prepare your home for a new pet, to teaching these furry friends new tricks.