SIGNS OF PAIN AFTER SURGERY IN PET

Signs of pain in dog include the following :

• crying
• biting if you get near the surgical site
• grimacing (lips are pulled back and the the dog looks anxious)
• tragic look of the face
• restlessness and not wanting to sleep; pacing
• if abdominal surgery was done the pet will not lie down on the incision, or will continually sit up in spite of appearing very tired
• the worst pain will be for the first 2 to 3 days after surgery

Signs of pain in cat include the following :

• biting if you get near the surgical site
• growling or deep cry
• not wanting to eat
• hiding and not wanting to be near owner (remember that this could also be caused by the cat just being upset about leaving home and coming back)

Pain medication such as :

• tylenol with codeine can be used in dog, but tylenol will kill a cat as they lack abundant glutathione enzyme in the liver.
• Butorphanol.
• Duragesic (fentanyl patch) anti-inflammatories such as Deramaxx, Rimadyl, or Etogesic. Anti-inflammatories can be used in cat, but the dose is much less than dogs and they should be given only for a few days.
• Acepromazine will augment the effect of pain medication and allow your pet to sleep.

If an orthopedic surgery has been done cold packing the surgical site may be helpful. A cold pack may be a pack of frozen peas, crushed ice in a Ziploc bag, or a cold gel pack; place a thin barrier between the skin and the cold pack. An alternative to a cold pack is to freeze water in a styrofoam cup; after frozen cut the bottom of the styrofoam cup out and in circular motions (directly on skin) cool the surgical site around the incision. Cooling the surgical site helps to numb the area.

Posted in: pet,veterinary