What Options of Pain Relief for Dogs Are Available - Which Is Best?

Find out which is the most effective pain relief for dogs - dog pain medicine, canine acupuncture and other alternative therapies or a wise combination of all of them, according to each individual case?

As a dog owner you are very conscious about giving the best pain relieving treatment to your beloved companion: you want to avoid severe side effects and take stress and discomfort as soon as possible away from your pet.

If possible, you'd probably choose a more natural approach over chemical pain killers.

You might be surprised to hear that nowadays pets can enjoy similar treatments as there are for humans:

• conventional pain management
• alternative pain relief for dogs

 

To decide which treatment will be best for your dog it is necessary to discuss your canine's individual needs with your vet. She or he knows your pet's medical history and can advise what is for your individual case the right treatment...

... But don't be shy to ask about all possible forms of therapies available, especially what complementary or alternative treatments would be best.

In many cases a well choosen combination of dog pain medicine and physical pain relief therapy may be most beneficial for your dog's recovery.

Conventional Pain Management

Allopathic or traditional school medicine looks at the symptoms of a disease and tries to terminate discomfort by disrupting and eliminating pain sensation.

Through dog pain medication you can take away distressing pain almost immediately.

This helps to keep up important body functions: your dog will still be able to eat and drink, urinate or pass faeces.

Healing processes start to take over and, after a certain time, pains and aches will fade away and finally disappear. This is a very important part in treating painful conditions in dogs.

Read more about chronic pain relief options in veterinary medicine.

Your vet will carefully prescribe and adjust the right dosage and time over which you need to give your pet the chemical drug. This helps to avoid severe side effects or fatal intoxication.

Well-known and often used drugs designed for pain relief for dogs are, for example, NSAID (non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs), like Meloxicam (Metacam, Loxicom), or the widely discussed Carprofen (Rimadyl, Caprodyl), Tramadol, Zubrin, etc.

These drugs are usually very convenient and easy to administer to pets.

Aspirin for dogs, which is chemically salicylic acid and NSAID, can be used as a pain reliever for dogs as a short term solution. However, side effects can be severe, if aspirin is given to dogs with bleeding disorders or blood-clotting diseases.

Opioids: these are mostly injectable drugs used in veterinary medicine before or after an operation.

Alternative Pain Management

Alternatives, drug-free or more natural ways to kill pain effectively are complementary treatments.

Canine acupuncture, a very effective and relaxing treatment, when carried out by a professional is becoming more and more popular.

It is now a recognized form of treatment, so most pet insurance companies are willing to cover it. Just ask your insurance customer service about it.

 

Acupressure and massage are nowadays also well-established and popular forms of making your dog feel better.

Once introduced and shown to you, you will be able to do this on your dog at home...

...and you both may find it very relaxing and great fun!

 

Hydrotherapy or actually controlled swimming is a very useful and gentle form of improving ajoint's range of movement, muscle tone and posture.

Dogs benefit a lot from it when their over-weight causes problems of the cardiovascular system.

Dogs suffering from canine diabetes get better very soon due to increased activity levels but without over-using joints.
Stiff joints will get better in a very short time.

Done under supervision of a certified hydro-therapist it is a most beneficial complementary treatment as a pain relief for dogs .

 

Herbal remedies for dogs are becoming more and more popular, too.

They make great alternatives to chemical drugs, but they are not always harmless.

Herbs often can cause mild to severe side effects or if given in combination with other drugs can alter the effectiveness sometimes considerably.

Also, try to inform yourself before you give your dog a herbal treatment of which you know it works in humans - it might not work in dogs or cause even severe to fatal side effects.

Best is to check always first with a vet, if it is safe to give a certain herbal remedy as pain relief for dogs.