Do Animals Need Pain Medicine After Surgery?
Why aren’t animals given any pain relief after
operations? When I ask this I am referring to the
time when pets are allowed home after having
surgery. Humans are in pain for weeks after an
operation, what it would be like if we were given
no pain relief at all? Imagine what it’s like for
a cat or dog who has just had surgery and are sent
home with nothing to ease their pain. They must be
in complete and utter agony for weeks. Why is no
form of pain relief offered or given to an animal
when it is sent home?
Joanne
Warwickshire, United Kingdom
There was a time not that long ago (that is to say, within my lifetime) when legitimate scientists debated whether dogs and cats truly felt pain. Certainly, they were noted to respond unfavorably to adverse stimuli. But it couldn’t be proved that they feel pain in the same way as people do.
That debate, thankfully, has been put to rest. No reasonable scientist or veterinarian would now deny that every mammal perceives pain in basically the same manner as humans. And no reasonable person would deny that the sorts of injuries and disease processes that cause pain in people will cause similar pain in mammals. (Some people continue to debate whether “lower” animals truly feel pain. I, for one, believe that birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish feel pain. I’m not 100% certain about insects, but I can say without hesitation that insects respond unfavorably to adverse stimuli . . .)
After it was agreed that all mammals feel pain, a new debate emerged among veterinarians. Some vets argued that pain was good for animals. Their argument was that the pain from a broken leg would keep a dog from walking on the leg. Similarly, the pain from a surgical incision would keep a cat from licking the incision.
The argument that pain is good turned out to be as poorly reasoned as it seems. Vigorous research has shown that pain is, in fact, bad.
Pain leads to physiological changes in the body that delay healing. Pain suppresses appetite, which in turn prevents animals from obtaining the nutrition they need to heal. Pain hurts. Pain management is now a standard part of care in veterinary medicine.
Joanne, I don’t have an answer for your question. Animals that undergo surgery are supposed to go home with pain medicine.
If you have a pet that did not receive pain medicine after a surgical procedure, it might have been an oversight. Or your vet may be one of the rare ones left who hasn’t adapted to modern practices. You may want to ask him or her why no analgesic (pain control) drugs were prescribed.
Most veterinarians now are proactive about pain control in their patients. Pain in animals is less common than it used to be. But it still happens. If you believe that your pet is in pain, do not hesitate to contact your vet to work out a solution to the problem. No veterinarian I know wants to see a patient in pain.
You have questions. 
Hello, having got a puppy who broke her leg and has external fixators attached ( hopefully has them off next week) When she came home after sergury i was given painkillers for her, i would say she defeintly needed them. Her leg was 4 times the size it should have been and was bruised so badly. I couldnt have imagined her not having painkillers. if we had it done we defeintly would need something. She was on painkillers for 2 weeks and after that the swelling had gone down and she seemed to not need them. Those who think dogs dont need painkillers shoudl have heard the crys and seen how Molli reacted the minute she broke her leg it was one of the worse noises i have ever heard and never want to experience that again. Sergury which involves any kind of major sergury defeintly should have painkillers. After all give dogs the basic like we do children and humens, food,water, love, excerise and regular vaccinations so why not medical treatments we would expect its proberly worse for dogs as they cant tell us when in pain like babaies cant. I certainly would not have left the vets with molli without painkillers. i would insist like i will make sure she has next week once hopefully her pins come out.
When Cotton was spayed, I was asked if I wanted the “pain package.” Once I found out that was the after surgery pain shot and pills, I couldn’t believe it was optional. Of course I wanted them. If I had a complete hysterectomy, I would want lots of pain meds. I don’t want to suffer and I don’t want my girls to either.
[...] Do Animals Need Pain Medicine After Surgery? [...]
I certainly agree with Claire. Who are these experts that come up with this kind of thinking? It seems some seem to feel that because they can’t speak words to express themselves, they don’t feel pain, have a soul, or desirve pain medication. To Cotton’s mom, Our cat was just spayed and they asked us the same about the pain medication. I can’t believe it is optional.
Thanks for the thoughtful answer to this most distressing question. I too had heard that animals should not have pain medication after surgery to prevent them from running around and injuring themselves more severely. My poor cat Sheena had a hysterectomy with no pain killers (this was 20 years ago). It still bothers me, but I accepted the vet’s verdict at the time. I wish I had known then. She was in so much pain But she still wanted to get into her kitty litter, so I built her little steps up to the top of the box and fill the box to the top so she didn’t have to move any more than necessary. Fortunately, she healed rapidly and the severe pain went away in a couple of days.
Now that I know more, I will make sure our two little dogs have all the benefits they need for any pain relief they require.