Don’t Let Them Hurt

When our pets hurt, we hurt. To help, you need to know why they are in pain, but this isn’t always obvious.
It is important to avoid giving your pet potentially dangerous medications such as Tylenol, Motrin or your own pain meds. At best, using ice and heat are good options that won’t hurt your pet. Everything else should go through a veterinarian. Your vet will narrow down why they hurt and what treatments will help.
A young dog with a sprained leg will probably do fine with anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed by your vet, but as pets age their ability to tolerate these drugs for chronic use lessens. There are many sources of pain, and the ideal treatment is removal of the source. This is not always possible, and many geriatric patients end up with chronic painful conditions, just like their human counterparts!
In aging pets, the organs are less able to handle common pain medications, so it is important to use the lowest, effective doses. In veterinary medicine, this is accomplished by using a multi-modal pain treatment – giving several medications that work on different areas of the pain pathway, each at lower dosages, thus minimizing side effects.
In senior pets with concurrent conditions, such as liver and kidney issues, we recommend alternative modalities such as Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM), frequency-specific cold laser therapy or acupuncture to alleviate pain and avoid medications that would worsen their medical condition.
VOM uses an activator device like human chiropractics do, which shuts down the pain cascade and helps the animal be pain-free without medications or with minimal meds. The beauty of VOM is the entire body heals better because VOM improves circulation to all organs, thus improving their function and slowing their decline, in addition to managing pain.
Frequency-specific cold laser therapy decreases inflammation and pain and stimulates aging and low-functioning cells to produce more energy and thus function better and heal faster. Other modalities like hydrotherapy or physical therapy or functional nutrition may be employed.
No, we cannot prevent death, but with the correct treatment your vet can make your companion comfortable and happy for as long as they want to be with us, and that is precious!
If your pet needs help or is taking multiple medications and you want to explore alternative modalities, contact me at drcrisvalas@thefamilypethospital.com. As always, first consultations for new clients are free.