We assess the animal for pain using behavioral clues by pets watching whether normal behaviors are present and whether any new behaviors have appeared.
Each patient will have a customized pain management plan based on anticipating the type, severity, and duration of pain expected (for example, post-surgical pain management).
Treatment for pain often involves drugs but should also include other physical treatments, such as compresses, massage, physical therapy, and other methods.
Signs of pain can be subtle and difficult to recognize, so animals suspected of being in pain may be treated with drugs and then watched for improvement.
Adequate pain relief after surgery or trauma allows the animal to rest. Dogs and cats often sleep more than usual for a few days after surgery, but a caregiver should be able to wake them up if the dosage of the analgesic drug is appropriate
Horizon Animal Hospital now offers “Laser Therapy”:
Keeping your pet mobile, we proudly offer this drug-free, surgery-free, pain relief treatment. 
Introducing laser therapy - Our clinic is proud to offer laser therapy, a non-invasive treatment designed to help reduce your pet’s pain and accelerate healing times. Laser therapy can be used on a variety of conditions both acute and chronic including arthritis, post-operative pain, ear infections, wounds, post-surgical, dentistry, and much more. Please contact us today to find out how laser therapy can benefit your pet.
Laser therapy provides a non-invasive, pain-free, surgery-free, drug-free solution for treating a variety of skin conditions, post-surgical, wounds, chronic otitis, and much more. It has proven very effective at reducing pain, swelling, and inflammation, and consequently aiding in the healing process.
Some of the skin conditions that can benefit from laser therapy are:
- Pyoderma
- Wound closure and/or abscess treatment
- Lick granulomas • Hot spots
- Allergic reactions to fleas, bites, and hives
- Spays and neuters
- Dental extractions and cleanings
- Wound closure and/or abscess treatment
- Otitis
- Surgical sites
- and much more
About the treatment:
Relief and/or improvement is often noticed within hours depending on the condition and your pet’s response. We highly recommend adding this innovative approach to treating pain for your pet for most post-surgery procedures, including dentals. For most procedures, your pet can benefit from a single treatment and receive increased comfort. Our practice firmly believes that our mission is to keep our patients’ pain-free. Laser therapy offers another modality that is consistent with industry standards. Adding laser therapy to your pet’s treatment will enhance pain relief, reduce inflammation and swelling, and reduce instances of self-trauma. Most importantly, adding laser therapy can positively impact your pet’s healing time.