My pet is in pain. Do vets always offer pain meds, or should I ask?

I'm so sorry Blue has cancer! Signs of pain in dogs include a reluctant to move, decrease in appetite, lethargy, and whining. Should you see any of those signs, I would give her the pain medication as directed by your vet.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There may be reasons, based on health or blood work, why the Vet doesn't send the cats home with pain medications. Cats in general are more sensitive to NSAIDs. They can not metabolize them and can die from improper use. There are drugs like onsior that are approved for cats for 3 days. You can use gabapentin, tramadol and buprenex orally to send home. I tend to NOT send home my cat spays with pain medications, but for an enucleation I would. I think you should calmly and respectfully discuss your concerns for the lack of pain control in cats and see if they will share their reasoning with you. The Vet may not know that some of these cats are indeed very painful, you are their best advocate! I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Sorry to hear about Clive. The mainstay treatments for orthopedic injuries are pain killers and anti inflammatories (NSAIDs). Since there may be a spinal / neural component to this, neuropathic medications and muscle relaxants may also come in very helpful especially during times of additional breakthrough discomfort. The type of medication to be dispensed will ultimately be a discussion with your primary vet, but NSAIDs that are common include carprofen (Rimadyl), deracoxib (Deramaxx), and meloxicam (Metacam). Other medications are things like opioids including tramadol and hydrocodone. In terms of the back, I would consider medications like gabapentin and methocarbamol to address this. There is another medication that I use in patients with refractory pain called amantadine, but I find it only effective when used in conjunction with NSAIDs. The periodic or daily use of many of these medications should be coupled with blood work at least twice yearly to be sure liver and kidney values are not elevating. Hope you get Clive all straightened out!

Hello, and thank you for your question. I'm sorry to hear that Bentley is unwell. It sounds like the pain control is not lasting until the morning. I would ask your vet if the pain medication can safely be given more frequently (e.g. every 8 hours instead of every 12 hours). Also, your vet could consider an additional medication to be added on for more pain relief. We often use non-steroidal anti-inflammatories in addition to opioid pain medications for muscle pain or spinal injuries, for example. I hope this helps, and that Bentley is feeling better soon!

I'm so sorry that Audrey is painful. Even if your veterinarian can't see anything on x-rays, it does not mean that she is not painful. Soft tissue pain can be very painful. I would recommend contacting your veterinarian to let them know that Audrey is still painful. They may want to examine her again to see if they can find anything new on examination to pin-point the source of her pain. I am attaching a link to a handout below with more information on pain medications for dogs. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=587 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Audrey feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Poor guy. Your vet should be able to prescribe several medications to help with Ozzy's pain including: Gabapentin, Tramadol (mild pain control in many cases), Fentanyl patch, Rimadyl (NSAID, for pain) or even Hydromorphone (if severe). He may not be eating due to the pain, so its important to get him something prescribed as soon as possible. A simple phone call should be able to get him the pain medication he needs. We call this palliative care (keeping the pet comfortable) when dealing with inoperable cancerous masses. Until then, you can try offering him some plain boiled chicken or lean ground turkey and white rice OR canned baby food (meat/vegetables) to hopefully entice him to eat something. I DO NOT recommend any over the counter human pain medication as these can be very toxic to pets causing acute liver or kidney failure. I do hope that Ozzy's pain can be managed well soon! Best wishes and take care.

Dogs can experience pain from a variety of health conditions, including [osteoarthritis](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/arthritis-1/),[ dental disease](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/dental-disease/), [urinary tract infections](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/utis-in-dogs/) or traumatic injuries, among many others. While it is extremely difficult to see our four-legged friends in pain, there are no safe and effective over-the-counter medications for managing pain in dogs (or cats). Over the counter pain relievers for humans, such as ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and naproxen (Aleve) are all toxic to animals. Aspirin should also not be given to dogs because it causes significant irritation and potential ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract, and it inhibits a dog’s ability to clot blood. If you think that your dog is in pain, your best bet is to take him to your veterinarian. After performing a [physical exam](https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-does-your-veterinarian-look-for-during-a-physical-exam/), your veterinarian will be able to prescribe safe and effective medication. Only give pain medication to the pet for which it was prescribed due to risks with drug interactions, improper doses or contraindications with certain medical conditions. ### Elanco and the diagonal bar logo are trademarks of Elanco or its affiliates. Galliprant is a registered trademark of Aratana Therapeutics, Inc.