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We have discussed acute/post surgical pain and chronic pain in previous blog post.
The International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) is trying to create awareness of animal pain in the upcoming month of September. Pain management has been an under-served area of veterinary medicine. This has been especially true for our feline friends.
Cats do have some unique properties that make pain management challenging. The first is that it is hard to tell when they are in pain. Second, cats lack some enzymes that makes metabolism of some drugs challenging or impossible. This is especially true in the Non-Steroidal (NSAID) class of drugs. Please remember that Tylenol (acetaminophen) is toxic to cats. Cat should NEVER receive acetaminophen, NEVER.
One over the counter (OTC) option is Duralactin. This works similarly to NSAIDs but is much safer. This supplement does not always work well in all cats. There are new drugs that are on the horizon.
Last, cats can be very challenging to medicate. There are creative ways to try and medicate cats so please ask your veterinarian and veterinary team for options.
