Practical Pain Relief for Dogs & Cats

Recent years have seen a huge increase in interest and developments in analgesia in animals. This book provides a practical guide to techniques available to alleviate or prevent pain in dogs and cats. It covers perioperative pain as well as chronic pain, such as pain from osteoarthritis or cancer. The physiology and pathophysiology of pain transmission and the relevant clinical pharmacology of analgesic agents is described. This will then help the reader to understand the reasons for the choice of therapeutic agent or regimen made in later sections.This book will outline the latest information on pain relief and present it in a practical and readable guide to effective analgesic therapy.

Physiology and pathophysiology of pain transmission, Should pain be treated in animals?; Recognition of pain in dogs and cats; Role of surgery and anti-cancer therapy in the alleviation of pain; Clinical pharmacology of analgesic agents; When should analgesia be provided?; Routes for administration of analgestic agents; Practical use of opioids; Practical use of NSAIDs; Practical use of local anaesthetics; Combination analgesia; Epidural/intrathecal analgesia; Alternatives to NSAIDs and adjunctive therapies for chronic pain; Adjunctive therapies for the alleviation of acute peri-operative pain; Trans-cutaneous nerve stimulation; Practical analgesia in the dog and cat; Case example discussion; Self assessment cases.