Pets may be secretive, which sometimes precludes identifying pain early when it is easiest to treat. Compassionate care is the watchword of everyone at Angel Care Cancer Center and pain control is the cornerstone of the caring process. We believe that you must be a part of the team to ensure that your pet has a pain free live. The key to compassionate pain control is to intervene early with analgesics, optimally before pain is ever realized.

Experienced practitioners and caregivers watch for subtle changes in activity level, appetite and movements. Vocalization, while not a specific indicator of pain, is seen in some cats, especially when discomfort is significant. Some pets become more reclusive whereas others, especially younger dogs and cats, pace and may thrash around. Tachypnea (increased breathing rate), tachycardia (increased heart rate) and dilated pupils can be used to assess pain in cats, even when they are quiet.

It is best to anticipate pain and to intervene early with analgesics, rather than waiting for clinical signs associated with discomfort. The best scenario is when you, the caregiver is well educated about the procedures that could cause discomfort and provides early treatment. Indeed, preemptive analgesia should always be practiced whenever possible.

Comprehensive management of pain involves careful evaluation and treatment of each dog and cat. To maximize quality of life, response to therapy and survival time for the patient, adequate pain control must be the highest goal for the veterinary practitioner. Pain control in feline medicine has come to the forefront of attention only recently, primarily because of the inappropriate attitudes of clinicians, lack of knowledge about analgesic medications and lack of skill in assessing pain and appropriate therapeutic methods. In many cases, analgesics have been withheld because of fear of adverse side effects of these drugs and because scanty research exists demonstrating the beneficial effects of pain relief in cats. Client demand has been an important force in bringing pain control to the forefront of compassionate care. We at CVS believe we must respond to our patients' needs and our clients' concerns, making pain relief and compassionate care a priority.

The management of pain begins with high-quality, compassionate care by every member of the veterinary health care team. Careful nursing with gentle handling and provision of an environment that is comfortable and relaxing is of great benefit to the cat. Local anesthesia should be employed whenever possible to alleviate discomfort. Systemic analgesia should be used whenever there is a possibility that discomfort is not alleviated by local analgesia.