Pain Management

Senior Patients Dealing with Chronic Pain The most common cause of chronic maladaptive pain is osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease. Pain is not always a bad thing, and all pain is not the same. Acute (protective) pain differs from chronic (maladaptive) pain in terms of function and treatment. This article describes the types of pain, …

Pain management in dogs and cats can be challenging because clinicians often have to rely on the observations of owners…

There are approximately 74.1 million pet cats in the United States1 but, despite this popularity, anesthesia and analgesia remain challenging in cats. Surprisingly few anesthetic and analgesic products are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in cats, but several new products have become recently available. The v-gel provides a protected and secured airway, allowing use of positive pressure ventilation and administration of inhalant anesthetics without exposure to staff or the environment. It can also be used for emergency resuscitation if an endotracheal tube is not available.

Nicholas Rancilio, DVM, Diplomate ACVR (Radiation Oncology); Jeff Ko, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVAA; and Christopher M. Fulkerson, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology) Purdue University Welcome to Elements of Oncology—a column that addresses the many components of diagnosing, managing, treating, and monitoring veterinary cancer patients. This new column begins with a series of two articles that …

Stephanie Apple, DVM Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine Sandra Diaz, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVD Ohio State University A 15-year-old castrated male domestic shorthair cat presented with a 2-month history of progressive lameness, swelling, and pain in its right front paw. HISTORY The patient was an indoor only cat. No other animals in the household were …

The American Animal Hospital Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners recently released the 2015 AAHA/AAFP Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, updating the original guidelines presented in 2007. In the following interview, Mark E. Epstein, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Canine/Feline), AAPM, CVPP, who cochaired the task force that authored the updated guidelines, shares insights …

Nicholas Rancilio, DVM, Diplomate ACVR (Radiation Oncology); Jean Poulson, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVR (Radiation Oncology); and Jeff Ko, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVAA Purdue University Welcome to Elements of Oncology—a column that will address the many components of diagnosing, managing, treating, and monitoring veterinary cancer patients. This column begins with a series of two articles that …

Mark E. Epstein, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Canine/Feline), CVPP Parts 1 and 2—The Two Most Important Tools in the Management of Osteoarthritis and The Best of the Rest in the Management of Osteoarthritis (November/December 2013 and September/October 2014, respectively; available at tvpjournal.com)—of this 3-part series discussed therapeutic options for its most common manifestation in companion animals: osteoarthritis. While …

Mark E. Epstein, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Canine/Feline), CVPP In this article, the second of the 3-part series, Dr. Epstein discusses additional modalities for treating osteoarthritis in dogs and cats, including therapeutic exercise, polysulfated glycosaminoglycans, omega-3 fatty acids, and suggested off-label dose s for pain-modifying analgesic drugs. Part 1—The Two Most Important Tools in the Management …