What you can do for pet pain
Like some humans, dogs and cats hide their pain. Unfortunately, this isn’t a good habit. It has been established that pain can interfere with the healing process and depress the immune system of pets. Knowing this, what can be done about pet pain?
Obviously, in the case of minor pains from known injuries, we often treat pets at home like we do to ourselves and our kids. For minor injuries, these simple home remedies can help.
Ice should be the first treatment for soft tissue injury or swelling. It’s free, readily available and works.
Give aspirin to ease the pain. Do this for dogs. Make sure it is Ascriptin or a form of aspirin formulated for dogs. Never give aspirin, willow bark, or any other pain medication to a cat. Follow the recommendation of your veterinarian. Cats metabolize these drugs differently than dogs or humans.
Herbal medicine has been used for pain relief for many years. The most common herb used for minor pain is white willow or Salix alba. This herb, the precursor to modern aspirin, may be easier on the stomach than aspirin, or even the supposedly gastrointestinal-friendly new generation COX-2 inhibitors.
Acupuncture is also very effective at reducing pain, swelling and inflammation. If your pet’s injury isn’t responding to home care and you know an acupuncturist who doubles as a veterinarian, you might want to give the needles a try.
The homeopathic remedy arnica can help with muscle strain, swollen soft tissues or bruising. For mild injuries in a dog or cat, you can give the arnica in two ways. You can put a single pellet into the mouth of the pet and make sure it swallows the pill. The pellets are tiny and slightly sweet, so most pets will swallow them willingly.
If your pet won’t take the pellet, simply put it into four ounces of water and stir ten times with a clean teaspoon. Give half a teaspoon of the liquid to the pet. It doesn’t matter if the pellet hasn’t dissolved. For minor muscle injuries, one or two doses are usually sufficient. This dosage is appropriate for dogs or cats of all sizes.
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