Pain Management
Pain is a natural part of life, but Integrative Pain Management can help increase the quality of your pet's life through:
• Acupuncture
• Multimodal pain management
• Nutraceutical and dietary recommendations
• Pain Vacations: In-patient pain management
• Emotional support: Discussion of pet wellbeing, quality of life
A whole-body approach to giving your pet their best life.
We manage pain with a perspective that extends beyond conventional pharmaceuticals. "Integrative" pain management speaks to an overall philosophy of caring for the whole pet with complementary therapies so your pet can live their best life.
What are common reasons for needing pain management?
Examples of reasons you might choose to bring your pet in for a pain management consult, include:
- Current medications are not helping your pet
- You are looking for a way to help your pet feel better without adding more pharmaceuticals.
- Your pet may not be able to take some medications (such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) and you are looking for other ways to manage their discomfort.
- Your pet may not be recovering as expected after a trauma or surgery.
- You are looking for non-surgical ways to manage your pet’s discomfort.
- Your pet’s cancer is causing pain and impacting their quality of life.
How do I know my pet is in pain?
Any major change in your pet’s behavior may indicate pain or discomfort, such as:
- Reluctance to jump up or rest in a previous favorite spot
- Resenting being handled or pet
- Decreased appetite
- Overgrooming or licking obsessively a certain area
- Housetraining lapses or lack of using the litterbox
If medical conditions have been ruled out, your pet may be exhibiting signs consistent with chronic pain. Especially as our pets age they are more prone to developing arthritis and other conditions that lead to chronic pain. We cannot stop our pets from aging, but we can manage their pain to give them the best quality of life.
Acupuncture for Pets
Will my pet feel pain during acupuncture?
The needles used in treatment are hair thin and most pets have minimal reaction. Occasionally if needling a particularly deficient or active point, an animal may express discomfort, but it typically is brief. If a particular needle placement is persistently bothersome to your pet, it will be removed.
Quality of Life and Grief Resources
Can you help me decide when the pain is too much for my pet?
Open discussions and evaluation of quality of life are central to any pain management, and we can provide tools you can use to evaluate and track the quality of your pet’s life in order to help you make decisions about continuing care or changing course.
