pain management

Improved medical care has increased the lifespan of our pets. At the same time, advances in veterinary medicine and surgery often expose pets to more invasive, painful procedures. Together, these factors likely contribute to a growing number of pets that experience acute and chronic pain. The good news for these pets is that opportunities for successfully managing pain and maintaining quality of life abound as the understanding of pain mechanisms increases and additional pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments multiply. While Dr. Shafford's expertise lies in the pharmacologic treatment of pain, she readily acknowledges that many neutraceutical, environmental and complementary therapies may be essential to pain management – particularly for the discomfort associated with chronic conditions and cancer. Dr. Shafford sees herself as an advocate for the patient in pain, working with other veterinary professionals to create a comprehensive plan to enhance comfort and quality of life. Cases that may benefit from consultation and evaluation by Dr. Shafford include pets undergoing procedures associated with moderate to severe acute pain, animals with osteoarthritis that are no longer comfortable with NSAIDs alone, pets experiencing pain associated with cancer, pets suffering from neuropathic pain states resulting in hypersensitivity to non-painful stimuli and any cases that do not respond to routine analgesic therapy. Pain management case consultations are available on-site, by phone or email.

Pain management by Veterinary Anesthesia Specialists involves:

• Review of case history, diagnostic results and patient evaluation
• Request for additional diagnostics if necessary to detail source of pain
• Consultation with the pet owner to discuss treatment options and means of assessing response to therapy
• Collaboration with the pet’s health care team to create an individualized pain management plan to optimize the pet’s comfort and quality of life, and minimize adverse drug reactions
• Regular phone and/or email communication with the pet owner, and re-evaluation of the pet to assess response to therapy

In addition to the provision of chronic and acute pain management consults, Dr. Shafford offers direct anesthetic management, continuing education lectures and workshops, and consultation regarding anesthesia and analgesia procedures. References are available upon request.