2015 AAHA/AAFP Pain Management in Dogs and Cats Guidelines

Veterinary ECC Small Talk

Thankfully (!) pain management continues to gain increasing recognition in clinical veterinary practice. In this episode I look at some of the key points made in the following recently published guidelines focusing on those most relevant to ECC and acute short-term pain management:

Epstein M, Rodan I, Griffenhagen G, et al. AAHA/AAFP Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. J Fel Med Surg 2015. 17, 251–272.

The ten points discussed in the episode are:

1. Pain management must be central to our clinical practice
2. Pain physiology should be considered when implementing our pain management
3. The patient’s behaviour is key to pain assessment
4. Pain scoring tools can be useful
5. Multimodal (balanced) analgesia is another key strategy in pain management
6. Opioids are the best analgesics in many emergency patients
7. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be contraindicated in emergency patients
8. Don’t overlook non-pharmacological measures
9. DON’T OVERLOOK TLC!
10. Conflicts of interest

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