4 Drug-Free Treatments for Chronic Pain in Pets

When your beloved pet suffers from chronic pain, you want nothing more than to provide relief however you can. However, many pain medications commonly issued to pets come with potential downsides. In addition to giving only temporary relief, these drugs also carry risks for adverse side effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding.

Fortunately, pain relief doesn't have to come from a bottle or syringe. Some veterinarians offer alternatives to standard drug treatment for chronic pain, using methods that not only pose less risk to animals but may also do more to address the underlying source of pain. Take a look at four such options for your pet.

1. Laser Therapy

Laser therapy counts as an example of non-invasive, drug-free pain treatment that works just as well on pets as it does on people. The technique involves the use of a low-power laser (as opposed to the high-power surgical lasers that actually cut through tissue). The low-power laser energy passes harmlessly through the skin.

Beneath the skin, the laser energy eases pain in a few different ways. The warming effect of the laser increases blood flow to damaged or diseased tissues, delivering healing nutrients and removing inflammatory substances in the process. The laser frequency also stimulates cells in these tissues to regenerate more effectively.

Laser therapy's ability to aid tissue while also reducing pain and inflammation makes it equally useful for acute and chronic conditions alike. Your veterinarian can use it to help your pet deal with chronic musculoskeletal or nerve pain, heal more quickly from surgery, or rehabilitate torn tendons and ligaments.

2. Homeopathy

Homeopathy stems from the idea that when people (and pets) experience pain or illness from large amounts of a specific irritant, they may gain relief through exposure to much smaller amounts of that irritant. Tiny doses of the right substances can prompt the body to boost its disease resistance and healing responses.

Your veterinarian may recommend different homeopathic remedies depending on your pet's specific chronic pain issue. For example, arnica can prove helpful for easing musculoskeletal aches and pains. Rhus tox may help with painful skin infections, while cantharis can soothe burns, scalds, and other acute skin problems.

3. Acupuncture

You may already know that acupuncture has helped people deal with a wide range of health problems, including chronic pain conditions, for thousands of years. You might not realize, however, that this ancient healing technique also enjoys a distinguished track record in treating animals, from house pets and horses to elephants.

In this form of treatment, the veterinary acupuncturist inserts thin needles just beneath the skin at various points that correspond to major nerve trunks and pathways. The needles trigger the release of endorphins and other substances that ease pain, normalize nerve function, and stimulate natural healing processes.

Acupuncture can also prove valuable for pets who require surgery for their chronic pain problems. Even if your pet must receive general anesthesia, acupuncture can reduce the amount of anesthesia necessary, lowering the risks associated with this medication.

4. Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation

If you've ever experienced the benefits of a chiropractic adjustment, you already know something about a variation of this technique. Veterinary orthopedic manipulation (VOM) works in much the same way, with the practitioner manipulating spinal joints that have shifted out of their optimal alignment.

By correcting alignment problems within the spinal column, veterinarians can take the pressure off of pinched spinal nerves. This correction can ease pain in conditions ranging from hip dysplasia and intervertebral disc disease to many other conditions that typically cause lameness as well as discomfort.

If you wonder where you can possibly obtain any of these pain relief options for your furry friend, you should know that South San Diego Veterinary Hospital offers all of them, along with many other safe, effective services for pets in pain. Contact our clinic today to learn more and schedule a consultation.