Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How to manage pain for my pet before and after surgery?
By Pascoe, P J·Published in The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice·2000·Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Perioperative pain management.
Plain-English summary
When pets undergo surgery, managing their pain starts even before the procedure to help reduce their anxiety and stress. Giving pain relief medications or local numbing agents before surgery can lessen the pain signals during the operation and decrease the need for pain relief afterward. After the surgery, it's crucial to keep giving pain relief to help your pet feel comfortable as they wake up from anesthesia, ideally for at least the first day or two. Continuous pain management is more effective than waiting for the pain to come back before treating it. Overall, effective pain management can significantly improve your pet's recovery experience.
Abstract
The management of perioperative pain starts with the use of approaches to minimize anxiety and distress before the procedure. The administration of analgesics or local anesthetics before the start of surgery reduces the nociceptive input occurring during the procedure and reduces the need for postoperative analgesics. As the animal recovers from anesthesia, it is important to administer analgesics to minimize the patient's experience of pain and to continue this therapy through at least the first 12 to 24 hours. Techniques that provide a continuous level of analgesia are more effective than those that allow the pain to return.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10932833/