Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cats may get less pain medicine than dogs after spay or neuter surgery
By Adams, Laura R & Muñoz, Kirk A·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2024·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Owner survey suggests cats may be undertreated for pain compared to dogs after an elective ovariohysterectomy or orchiectomy.
Plain-English summary
A survey of pet owners found that cats may not be getting enough pain relief after being spayed or neutered compared to dogs. Out of the pets surveyed, only 6.7% of cats received pain medication after surgery, while 16% of dogs did. Many owners reported that their cats seemed to be in pain at home, with 17% noticing discomfort. This suggests that veterinarians might need to pay more attention to pain management for cats after surgery to ensure they are comfortable during recovery.
People also search for: cat spay pain management · why is my cat in pain after surgery · dog neuter recovery pain relief
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences in pain management between dogs and cats after surgical sterilization. We hypothesized that dogs would be more likely to be discharged with analgesics after sterilization compared to cats and that owner compliance would be better in dogs. ANIMALS: 175 respondents owning 92 dogs and 83 cats from a high-volume, low-cost veterinary clinic in Michigan during August 2022. METHODS: Owners received an online survey designed to assess their pet's postoperative analgesic care. They were asked demographic information about themselves and their pets. Additionally, they were asked if their pet was discharged with analgesics, if they were administered as prescribed, and if their pet was painful at home. Dogs and cats were included if they were sterilized within 6 months of survey completion and in the owner's care at the time of the procedure. RESULTS: The survey was distributed to 5,241 owners and received 227 responses, a response rate of 4.4%. Analgesics were prescribed for 19 of 162 (12%) pets: 14 of 88 (16%) dogs and 5 of 74 (6.7%) cats. There was no difference in the prescription of analgesics between dogs and cats after ovariohysterectomy (P = .09) or orchiectomy (P = .73). 15 of 19 owners reported their compliance in administering analgesics at 78.9%. Owners' subjective assessments showed that 24 of 86 (28%) dogs and 12 of 68 (17%) cats appeared painful at home. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Postoperative pain in cats may not be appropriately managed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38710204/