Companion Animal Welfare

Dog Perioperative Pain Management Advances

Perioperative pain management in veterinary medicine has advanced significantly, and multimodal analgesia protocols now provide much better pain control for dogs undergoing surgery.

Key Facts

Multimodal analgesia combining opioids, NSAIDs and local anaesthesia is now standard of care
Pain scales for dogs allow objective assessment before and after surgery
Pre-emptive analgesia given before the surgical stimulus reduces total pain experienced
Regional nerve blocks reduce general anaesthetic requirements and postoperative pain
Inadequate postoperative pain control slows recovery and impairs welfare for days after surgery

Welfare Considerations

Dogs undergoing surgery deserve robust pain management before, during and after the procedure. Historic undertreatment of pain in veterinary patients reflected both limited drugs and a misapprehension that animals felt pain less than humans. Modern evidence shows the opposite - multimodal protocols that address pain at multiple points in its pathway are now the ethical standard.

What You Can Do

Ask your vet what pain management protocol will be used before any surgery
Ensure postoperative pain medication is provided to take home after procedures
Monitor for pain signs in the days following any surgical procedure