Dealing With Your Pet's Pain:
Severe Acute and Chronic Pain
By Christie Keith
This article was updated with new information on August 13, dog pain medication tramadol, 2008. In the first article in this series, I showed that recent veterinary research had demonstrated that controlling pain in animals speeds healing and recovery, fort dix, and that uncontrolled pain in and of itself is harmful to the animal. In the second article, I looked at some alternatives for dealing with mild injuries and chronic pain, such as mild arthritis. In the last article in the series, I am going to look at options for handling pain after surgery, or tramadol pill, from severe injuries, and severe chronic pain. Some vets and pet owners appear to believe that a little pain is a good thing if it helps keep the pet quiet during recovery from surgery or an injury. Given the fact that pain lengthens recovery time and suppresses the immune system, this attitude is one that must be laid to rest forever. If the pet needs to be kept from moving around, crates, cages, carriers, leashes, and other forms of confinement must be used instead of pain. Furthermore, pain is a very unreliable form of restraint. Surgery Whether the surgery is a simple neuter or spay or hours-long orthopedic surgery, it will cause pain in your dog or cat. Even if your pet is frisky and hungry the next day, buy no prescription tramadol, this does not mean he or she is not experiencing pain, and that relieving that pain will not be beneficial to your pet. For minor surgeries such as neutering or a dentistry, discuss pain management with your vet prior to the surgery, and find out what, if any, pain medications they will give your dog or cat after the procedure, dog pain medication tramadol, and how long it will last. If they do not regularly prescribe any post-procedure pain medication to use at home, request something to use if your pet is in pain. It is possible, even likely, dog owners will be offered the drug Torbugesic (butorphanol), usually in VAL syrup. While commonly prescribed, Torbugesic is a very poor pain drug for dogs, lasting an extremely short amount of time and not controlling pain very well during that time. If you ask for something other than Torbugesic, fort dix, the next most common suggestion is a drig such as Rimadyl, Metacam, or a number of other drugs in the class known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, dog pain medication tramadol, or NSAIDs, nebraska board of pharmacy tramadol. While these drugs are, in my view, over-prescribed for minor and chronic pain, and carry a number of risks many dog owners aren't aware of, they play an important role in the control of severe pain, including post-surgical pain. However, there is another option that can be used instead of, or sometimes in combination with, NSAIDs, and that's the human drug Tramadol (Ultram). My first experience with this drug was when it was prescribed for my dog Rebel after surgery. This drug is being increasingly used in veterinary medicine, and I've found it to be invaluable for post-surgical pain as well as for certain injuries and even chronic pain. I wrote an article about Tramadol for the veterinary technician blog VetTechs, and it can be found here: Tramadol, dog pain medication tramadol. I will discuss complementary and alternative veterinary medicine for mild post-surgical pain control in dogs below. Cats are generally prescribed the drug Buprenex (buprenorphine), dog pain medication tramadol, which is administered by rubbing or squirting on the gums, for pain management at home, dog pain medication tramadol. It is usually dispensed in pre-measured syringes and is very effective. For more serious surgeries, including full abdominal surgery such as a spay (a spay is not, contrary to popular perception, a minor surgical procedure; ask any woman who has had a hysterectomy), I have had extremely good results using narcotic pain relievers for my dogs. Morphine, fentanyl, and other powerful drugs can serve to keep your dog sedated and resting and pain-free while he or she recovers from the enormous stress and assault of major surgery. I have used holistic alternatives, or tramadol pill, but in every case these were as complements to, not instead of, allopathic pain medications prescribed by my vet, dog pain medication tramadol. For example, narcotics tend to make dogs queasy, and so I usually give a product called Minty Ginger by the company Herbs for Kids to dogs who are on narcotic drugs. Tramadol does not seem to cause the nausea that narcotics often do. Orthopedic surgeries tend to be the most painful of all, and if your dog or cat is having such a procedure, it's best to have it done by a surgical specialist. Most surgeons will be able to guide you in selecting a proper course of pain management for your pet. Because the pain from such surgery tends to be worse and longer lasting than abdominal surgery, this is a time when I might consider using NSAIDs after a period of narcotics. I don't like the effects of long-term narcotic use, although addiction is not the issue with pets that it is with humans, and after a few days of dozing and recovering, it's not really practical to keep the dog groggy when he or she could be aware and interacting with family members. If the dog or cat has good kidney and liver function as determined by pre-surgery blood panels, and if you and your vet can continue to monitor kidney and liver function while the pet is on the drugs, dog pain medication tramadol, this is a time you might want to consider Rimadyl, Deramaxx, or one of the other Cox-inhibiting pain medications. Tramadol may be a better choice, dog pain medication tramadol, as it doesn't have the GI side effects of the NSAIDs, and is not as sedating as Fentanyl or morphine. However, at the higher doses, dog pain medication tramadol, it will have a sedative effect. The combination of Tramadol and COX-inhibitors is especially effective, dog pain medication tramadol, and the harm NSAIDs cause to the GI tract can be minimized with certain supplements, herbs, and even other drugs. For more information, you can review my article Misoprostol and More: fort dix, Making NSIADs easier on your dog's gut, dog pain medication tramadol. Prevention is Better than Cure It is better to prevent pain than to try to eliminate it after the fact, buy no prescription tramadol, and for that reason, most state-of-the-art anesthetic protocols include pre-procedure pain medication. This prevents what is called "wind-up," and is an excellent method of minimizing the adverse effects of pain on your dog's recovery. New techniques including applying Duragesic (fentanyl) patches the night before surgery, or using epidurals, dog pain medication tramadol, are very effective in dogs and cats and can speed recovery time substantially. If your vet is not familiar with this approach, ask him or her to contact UC Davis or another veterinary school, fort dix, and consult with an anesthesiologist. If your vet does not stock Duragesic patches, he or she can phone a prescription in to your local pharmacy, where you can pick it up and bring it to the office for application. Obviously this is something that requires advance planning, dog pain medication tramadol. Holistic Alternatives For minor surgical pain or injuries that are more severe than discussed in the previous articles in this series, some holistic alternatives are extremely effective, dog pain medication tramadol. If available, buy tramadol nice site, acupuncture will both relieve pain and relax your pet, helping him or her cope with stress better. For dogs, buffered aspirin or the herb white willow bark can take the edge off minor pain. Do not use these on cats. For dogs or cats, the homeopathic remedy arnica can be powerful for post-surgical pain, dog pain medication tramadol, or pain from injuries. For severe pain I use arnica in the 1M or 10M potency. For dosages and directions, please consult your holistic veterinarian or refer to my earlier article on minor pain. Herbal or homeopathic gels containing calendula officianalis are wonderful for putting on incisions, fort dix. They help with pain, itching, and irritation; I've used them on my own surgical incisions and the relief was immediate and unmistakable. I have noticed that my dogs or cats leave their incisions alone much more readily when they are treated with calendula, dog pain medication tramadol. What about holistic alternatives for serious pain, surgical recovery, or severe chronic pain? In the case of severe chronic pain, buy tramadol nice site, the types of approaches I've outlined in the previous article on managing chronic pain will already have been tried and either did not work, or have stopped working. The owner has decided that quality of life is low, dog pain medication tramadol, and the big guns need to be brought in. When that time comes, dog pain medication tramadol, holistic alternatives are likely to become complements to allopathic drug treatment instead of primary therapies. Unless the animal is young and recovery is likely, the only questions to ask at this point are questions about quality of life: Is my dog or cat suffering? Can I relieve that suffering? If not, is it fair to let him or her continue to suffer? Certainly if euthanasia is the only alternative, buy tramadol nice site, risky drugs are well worth trying. Veterinary NSAIDs like Rimadyl, fort dix, Etogesic, and Deramaxx have gotten a lot of positive hype but also been the subject of an enormous amount of negative Internet attention. I believe these drugs are more dangerous than most people realize, but are also valuable tools in the management of serious pain. Putting your pet to sleep without trying them is a tragic missed opportunity, dog pain medication tramadol. Even if liver and kidney function is not perfect (as is often the case in older and chronically ill pets), it is still worth discussing their use with your veterinarian. Draw baseline bloodwork, monitor the levels after a week or two on the drugs, and then at frequent intervals thereafter, and you will do a great deal to reduce the risks. Work with a holistic vet on supportive supplements and herbs, and you can reduce those risks even further. (For more information, again, you can read my article on minimizing the impact of NSAIDs on the dog's GI tract here.) This does not mean your pet will not be harmed by the use of NSAIDs; drug reactions tend to be highly individualized, dog pain medication tramadol, and some pets have died while on NSAIDs, buy tramadol nice site. Nonetheless, if quality of life is poor, and alternatives do not help, it is a risk most pet owners will take. Just do it with your eyes open, instead of blindly accepting the NSAID prescription as if it were no more risky than a dog biscuit. Even if the pet is on NSAID or other drug therapy, don't abandon the alternatives, both holistic and conventional, outlined earlier. For example, if your dog has arthritis or similar conditions, acupuncture can be powerfully effective in combination with allopathic medications, and the drug Adequan actually rebuilds cartilage and lubricates and cushions your pet's joints. Let the NSAID handle the pain, but continue using alternatives to help heal and support the body. Similarily, drugs such as Tramadol can be used with NSAIDs to great effect, or tramadol pill, and many dogs with severe arthritis or cancer pain also get excellent pain control from a combination of those drugs with those that address neurological pain such as amantadine, gabapentin, and even stronger narcotics. Use all the tools available to give your pet the best possible quality of life. There is nothing "holistic" about suffering or pain. A Closing Note about Veterinary Care It is always difficult, buy no prescription tramadol, as a layperson, to evaluate the course of medical treatment prescribed by a veterinarian. There are many vets I know in whose hands I would willingly place my pets' pain control needs, and know that they would use the safest, most effective, dog pain medication tramadol, and most up-to-date protocols, buy tramadol nice site. But just as with any profession, from human medical doctors to car mechanics to hairdressers to contractors, there are those veterinarians who are more skilled, dog pain medication tramadol, and who do more research, than others. If a veterinarian caring for one of my pets does not appear share my beliefs on the importance of pain management, I seek another veterinarian, dog pain medication tramadol. Also just as in human medicine, it is sometimes hard for general veterinary practitioners to be up-to-date on every specialty, such as surgery or pain management or anesthesia, buy tramadol nice site, and often, a specialist will be able to give your pet better care in a specific area than your general practice vet will. Just as I would not go to my regular doctor for surgery, dog pain medication tramadol, I do not use my regular vet for surgery either; buy no prescription tramadol; I seek out a surgeon, dog pain medication tramadol. And when it comes to anesthesia and analgesia, nebraska board of pharmacy tramadol, I seek out, dog pain medication tramadol, or consult with, or have the surgical staff consult with, an anesthesiologist, buy tramadol nice site. The two drawbacks to this practice are that it's expensive, and it sometimes offends your regular vet. Fortunately my regular vet is in a practice with specialists, so she is able to remain the vet of record while I'm able to avail myself of the services of the specialists, buy no prescription tramadol. The issue of cost is a valid one, but if affordable for the pet owner, well worth the investment in terms of improved safety and better outcomes. I even used boarded surgeons for simple spays and neuters; while much more expensive, dog pain medication tramadol, in absolute terms the surgeries do not cost that much money and I feel it's worth it, buy tramadol nice site.
Tramadol (Generic) 
 Common Uses for Tramadol 100mg
Tramadol, dog pain medication tramadol, commonly known as Tramatas, Tranzex, dog pain medication tramadol, Aurotrama and Tramol-SR is used to relieve moderate to moderately severe pain. It also may be used to treat pain caused by surgery and chronic conditions such as cancer or joint pain. Tramadol works by decreasing the brain\'s perception and response to pain. It also reduces the size or magnitude of the pain signal passed from one nerve to another. Tramadol 100mg is sometimes prescribed for other uses; or tramadol pill; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information, dog pain medication tramadol.
Before Taking Tramadol 100mg
Tramadol comes as a tablet to take it orally, buy tramadol nice site. It usually is taken every 4-6 hours as needed. Tramadol 100mg may be taken with or without food. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take Tramadol exactly as directed. Tramadol can be habit-forming. Do not take a larger dose take it more often, or for a longer period than your doctor tells you to.
Tramadol 100mg Cautions
Before taking Tramadol, tell your doctor if you have kidney disease; liver disease; or a history of alcohol or drug dependence. You may not be able to take Tramadol, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above. Tramadol is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether it will be harmful to an unborn baby, nebraska board of pharmacy tramadol. Do not take Tramadol 100mg without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant. It is also not known whether Tramadol passes into breast milk. Do not take Tramadol without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. If you are over 75 years of age, you may be more likely to experience side effects from Tramadol. The maximum daily dose of Tramadol for people over 75 years of age is 300 mg, fort dix. Tramadol is not approved by the FDA for use by children younger than 16 years of age.
Missed Dose
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.
Possible Tramadol 100mg Side Effects
Although side effects from Tramadol are not common, dog pain medication tramadol, they can occur. The most frequently reported events were in the central nervous system (Migraine, Speech disorders) and gastrointestinal system (Gastrointestinal bleeding, Hepatitis, dog pain medication tramadol, Stomatitis, Liver failure). Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: nebraska board of pharmacy tramadol, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, blurred vision, upset stomach, vomiting, and diarrhea, dog pain medication tramadol. If you experience any of the following symptoms, buy no prescription tramadol, call your doctor immediately: fast heartbeat, nebraska board of pharmacy tramadol, redness, swelling, and itching of the face, numbness or tingling of the hands and feet, buy tramadol nice site, difficulty breathing, changes in urination, seizures.
Tramadol 100mg Storage
Dispense Tramadol 100mg in a tight container. Store at 25°C (77°F); dog pain medication tramadol; excursions permitted to 15 - 30°C (59 - 86°F).
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