Why wouldn't you....

[Deleted]

I can see why you would have to consent to administering any meds. If Fluffy has a bad reaction, I'm sure there are idiots who would sue. But I can't imagine people refusing post-op pain meds.

There are cheap and cruel people who will put their pet down if they have any little medical issue, but I feel like once you have signed on for paying for surgery, you must be the kind of owner who would spring for pain pills.

[ouchica]

I have heard some ass backward people state that animals don't feel pain . When my I had to get my kitty neutered I made sure I signed what I needed to sign to insure he would be ok and well taken care of. When I was able to take him home they also gave me three syringes filled with pain medication for his pain and to keep him comfortable in his healing process. I think for my cat that was all included in the price of the surgery so I didn't have to pay extra.

[Gardening Grandma]

Wow, this disturbs me. I've had surgery and it HURTS! I would not want my dogs to suffer any more than I wanted to.

I understand a vet wanting signatures, but if I were a vet, I'd have a hard time doing surgery on an animal knowing its owner was too cheap to pay for pain killers...

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I would think this depends on the procedure, the pet, the vet, and the owner.

But I can say that I've fostered 110+ cats and kittens for various rescues, and none of them received pain medications after their spay or neuter surgeries (from a variety of clinics, vets, etc.) and they all seem to do fine. If anything, it can be hard to properly pain medicate a 2 pound kitten, and post-surgical pain supposedly helps keep them a little less active during the few days following recovery.

[Deleted]

Charlie just had dental surgery and got fixed. She got pain meds during the surgery and the night she stayed but I didn't get any for at home. She did not seem to be in extreme pain and I needed her to stay quiet for a couple of days while she heeled. I was afraid if she had no pain she would try to do her normal jumping and running etc and cause herself some damage.

[phil5185]

I was afraid if she had no pain she would try to do her normal jumping and running etc and cause herself some damage.

And that's a key point - some pain is useful. A pet doesn't understand that they need to remain still for a couple days - but medium pain when they move will encourage them to stay still and sleep (and there is no pain when they are asleep).

As for the euthanize/operate decision, that is also different for people, pets, and livestock. People will accept weeks of chemo & recovery based on their hope/knowledge of potential good health. A pet has no way to apply that logic, so they tolerate an operation strictly based on trust/love, ie the owner decides for them. And for livestock it is purely an economic decision - if a $1200 cow needs a $1300 operation to survive, the answer is no - put the cow down and buy a new one - Or, if it's a young cow with a good prognosis, you might spend up to $800 for a procedure and have her go thru it.

[qofcc]

We had our pet rabbit neutered when he became aggressive to the other rabbits. I called around to all of the vets and comparison shopped for the price of the surgery. We chose the vet charging $95. On the day of the surgery, they asked if we wanted him to have pain medicine afterward because they strongly recommend it, but it would be an extra $20. They said that without the pain medicine, the little rabbits sometimes get very agitated about the pain and their hearts beat too fast and sometimes they die and the medicine helps keep them relaxed. Well, of course I want him to have pain meds. Why would I be spending all of this money to have him neutered then risk him having a heart attack? Who are the idiots who think animals don't feel pain? I did think the vet did a bait and switch by not including the pain medicine in the price.

[daisylu]

I would think that they have to ask just because since an animal cannot convey the power of pain there is no implied consent.

And if an owner refused maybe they had other concerns - like allergies. When I had my chihuahua mix spayed she had a reaction to the anesthesia that very nearly killed her. The vet said that there were other types of anesthesia that probably would not have affected her, but I hope we never have to find out.

[CarolinaKat]

When I had my kitty girls spayed, I opted for the 'take home' pain medicine. It was just a little drop, and it helped make them sleepy so they didn't pop the stitches (well 2 days later one 'helped' by removing all of hers, but it had healed enough it was ok). They also had given me the 'cone of shame' but that was destroyed in ~1.5 days. One of them also had a history of becoming EXTREMELY sore from vaccinations, so much so that she wouldn't drink to keep herself hydrated, so I thought it was prudent to make sure i could medicate her.

When the boys got theirs done, I didn't opt for it... They were completely fine an hour after getting home, no stitches to worry about.

We also had to heavily pain medicate my dad's dog when she dislocated a disc in her back, for about the first 2 weeks. She was in so much pain she couldn't move or sleep, so we medicated her so she could sleep. We also had to keep her confined to a kennel while her back recovered. I think it was about an 8-12 week process all together. She's completely healthy now, and avoided risky surgery.

[steph08]

I don't think it is because people are too cheap, it is probably because pain meds are not necessary after all types of surgery, plus there can be very bad reactions to a lot of the pet pain meds out there. Both of my dogs were neutered and had pain meds during their neuters but I did not get any "take home" pain meds for them. The surgery pain meds lasted the rest of the day when they were still sore and the next day, they were their happy, playful selves.

The only other time I had to get pain meds for my dog was when he pulled a muscle in his back and it was obvious he was in a lot of pain (shaking, panting, wouldn't lay down) so we drove the hour to the emergency vet at 10 p.m. to get him meds. He definitely needed them then - but they never indicated pain like that after neuters. A neuter also isn't a very invasive surgery (unless there is an undescended testicle), though a spay is.

Though it might not be the belief of most people, I believe meds are thrown around unneccessarily a lot (for people and pets). But my vet never even indicated that my dogs needed "take home" pain meds after their neuters so I didn't get any.

And I have had surgery without taking pain meds afterwards. I guess it just depends on your pain tolerance.

[LlamaLlamaDuck]

The only time I ever used pain medications on any of my cats was for terminal cancer. Administering the medication was stressful in itself (shooting liquid medication into the mouth of a cat with oral cancer - imagine trying to pill an animal in pain.)

One night we gave him all the pain medication at one time hoping it would ease him out of the world. We kept back one dose just in case. Talk about unintended consequences. The little guy felt so good that his appetite returned, but having lost his sense of smell, and being physically unable to chew or swallow much of anything any longer, it was quite a nightmare, him asking us all night long for food.

We had him euthanized the next morning, still feeling pretty good under the effects of all that medication, but starving. Someday I may be able to think about this without feeling guilt for not making the responsible decision days earlier.

The upshot is, if feeling good is bad or dangerous for the animal, then don't administer the pain meds, espacially not just because you want your friend to hang around longer for you.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Only time my Aussie got pain medication was after her tumor removal, it had a sedative in it. It was VERY important that she not move around a ton after the surgery and she is a very hyper active dog. Giving her the medication helped calm her down and keep her from ripping her stitches apart.

[Deleted]

I never got pain meds for dogs/cats after spay or neuter.

I did give pain meds to a cat that had major reconstructive work on two legs after getting hit by a snowmobile and he felt so great that he was jumping up and down off of counters. A week later he had to go back into surgery because he dislocated one of the rods. A $1200 extra expense. No pain meds after that one!

Now I'm considering putting my dog on something. She got Lyme's disease a couple years ago and now at the age of 10 is starting to get arthritic. I'm not real thrilled about the idea as not only are they expensive, but they cause bad stomach problems in my Mom's dog, but it's time to do something.

[Deleted]

I took my dog to the vet a few weeks ago because he was walking around on 3 paws. I was getting my roof done at the time and I was worried he might have stepped on a stray nail even though I couldn't find a puncture wound.

Turned out he'd torn a nail on his paw and they said it would heal on its own. They gave me pain meds for it. I got it because it was obvious his paw was hurting him since he kept it in the air. I feel like I got snookered though; it was $25 for 5 pills that they cut in half.

It's difficult with animals because they can't tell you exactly where they hurt and how bad it is. So I just try to make the best decision I can for them and keep them comfortable.

[Tiny]

Someday I may be able to think about this without feeling guilt for not making the responsible decision days earlier.

Oh, Llama, I feel your pain. I feel the same way about the first cat that went thru the end stages of CRF. I should have taken him in for the final vet visit a day or two sooner. Atleast, that experience made me much more sensitive to what was happening/going on so that when the next cat got to the end stages of CRF (and when the thrid cat developed irreparable heart trouble and was near the end) I was much quicker to make the decision for the final vet visit.


As for pain meds after surgery - one of the cat's needed surgery on his paw - he came home with a bandaged paw, the cone of shame and 3 pain pills which I had to cut in half and administer 1/2 a pill twice a day. I was also told to keep him as still/quiet as possible for as long as possible (hopefully as long as 7 days). He got to live in the bathroom (with box, beds, food), wearing his cone of shame. On the third day I had to remove his bandage check his wittle owie paw, ointment it up and re-bandage it. I was thankful for the pills - they really did keep him quiet and resting. On the fourth day (no pills) he was desperate to get out of the bathroom, was using the bandaged paw, and was meowy anytime he heard me in the house. Getting the paw checked, ointmented, bandaged was a royal pain for me after the pills were gone as well. I never imagined burrito-ing a 7 pound cat and then pulling one paw out of the burrito would be such a challange. His little paw healed up just fine and he became known as the Cat with the 500 Dollar Paw.

[LlamaLlamaDuck]

Cone of shame, ha ha. I remember that from "Up."

[HoneyBBQ]

People suck. You're surprised?

[TheOtherMe]

My first cat, the love of my life, RIP Benjamin, had what seemed liked hundreds of illnesses over his 16 year life. He had so many UTIs, that I ended up have the surgery done called Perineal Urethrostomy", which enlarges the urethral opening by shortening the male penis and urethra to create a wider urine canal. This was to prevent a blockage while I was at work, as he was always blocked by the time I got him to the vet.

He was on pain meds when I brought him home with an Elizabethan collar, but he somehow chewed the stitches out. Back to the vet we went for more stitches and a new Elizabethan collar. Same result so we repeated the procedure. This time vet constructed an Elizabethan collar that was larger and had gauze and tape on it, so Benjamin couldn't chew around it. We also decided to keep him sedated for one week.

Since he was my first baby, I took a week off from work to take care of him. He was so sedated that he just sat in a daze. I hand fed him and would take him to the litter box and sit him in it. He would eat out of my hand and drink water if I brought the bowl over to him.

Must have worked because he lived many more years, although certainly not UTI free. That cat cost me a fortune, but he was worth every penny.

[servant_of_dog]

Our dog recently had to have her chest stitched back together (she had a misadventure on a late night walk), and the vet gave her back to us with a cloth e-collar rather than the plastic cone of shame. It's the most wonderful thing; she doesn't mind wearing it at all, and she can eat and drink while wearing it. She just can't get at her stitches. I've been watching, and I really think it would also work for a spay or neuter. It was only $14 according to the vet receipt.

She also got pain medication and sedatives as part of her aftercare. She's healing beautifully.

[servant_of_dog]

OMG that photo copied HUGE.

[share88]

Certainly my cat got pain meds after nueter (2 days). I could sure tell when they wore off cause he started acting anxious and not like himself. Meds put him back to normal. The vet said since he was older he would definitely be in more pain than the kittens who had not yet developed.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Servant of Dog ... get well wishes for your dog.

[Agatha]

I've never had to give pain meds to any of my cats; they all seemed to do very well without them (after neutering). I have given sedation though when my old cat, Silver, developed feline hepatic lipidosis. The only cure was force-feeding. We started out with a 60 cc syringe and wrapping her up like a burrito (love that term!). It was a struggle every three hours. So the vet put her on Valium. That was a hoot! Drunk cat! She'd start to walk, fall down on her side then look at the floor and back to me. "Ma, where did this floor come from? Doesn't it like me?"

She recovered and lived to a ripe old age of 20. The disease is usually fatal. My vet called her "a miracle". But we couldn't have done it without sedation. If you love em, you do whatever is needed.

[Gardening Grandma]

servant of dog,
Thanks for sharing that pic. Hope your pooch is healing nicely.

We've have a series of cone collars (dealing with hot spots). The best I've found, so far, is an inflatable one. The dogs don't seem to mind it at all = they use it as a chin rest. LOL...

They HATED those plastic ones. Bumped into things....

That fabric collar really looks comfortable, though...

[DVM gone riding]

More refuse then don't!! Some due it bec of cost, a LOT don't like the idea of "drugs" in their pets, and some do it bec they don't actually perceive their pets to be in pain. I know young male dogs (less then 6 mos) will rarely act painful after 48 hrs, but when I spay 2 yr old females people are usually not prepared for how painful their dogs are the first 72+ hours. When I do more complicated surgerys then spay/neuter I don't usually make ect pain meds optional

[whoami]

Our dog didnt get pain meds after she was spayed but she was little and really didnt seem to be in any pain anyway. She currently takes Deramaxx for pain to the tune of $60 a month. I would never NOT pay for pain meds if I knew she was hurting.

[servant_of_dog]

May 28, 2011 6:31:31 GMT -5 Agatha said:

I've never had to give pain meds to any of my cats; they all seemed to do very well without them (after neutering). I have given sedation though when my old cat, Silver, developed feline hepatic lipidosis. The only cure was force-feeding. We started out with a 60 cc syringe and wrapping her up like a burrito (love that term!). It was a struggle every three hours. So the vet put her on Valium. That was a hoot! Drunk cat! She'd start to walk, fall down on her side then look at the floor and back to me. "Ma, where did this floor come from? Doesn't it like me?"

She recovered and lived to a ripe old age of 20. The disease is usually fatal. My vet called her "a miracle". But we couldn't have done it without sedation. If you love em, you do whatever is needed.

Amen! The drunk cat visual made me giggle. I'm glad she survived and gave you much joy in her time. It's the only thing that makes saying goodbye to them bearable.

And thanks all for the well wishes for my dog!

[Deleted]

Are there really pet owners out there that are that cruel? Am I missing something here?

Just because you are a pet owner doesn't mean that you should be a pet owner.

Pain meds are pretty cheap to. Hell we just started our big girl on a new heart medication that's $125 per month (plus she is on 3 other meds, plus she has to have special food, plus we have to give her pumpkin every meal). If that means that we get to have her bossing us around for another year then it's well worth the money.

On a crazy note: She has a "special" relationship with one of our male dashshunds I found out tonight (my wife knew). She let's him clean her food dish when she is finishing. If anybody else gets near it (including me) we get snapped at. I'll be darned!

[gusitarenker]

We never had the option for at home pain meds when we got our kitties neutered. I am guessing they gave them something pretty strong at the vet's office before I picked them up, because they were tipsy for the rest of the day when I brought them home.

[taz157]

It's been so long since my dogs (may they RIP not due to spaying/neutering) were spayed that I can remember if we had pain meds for them or not. I don't think so because all I remember was them being tired from when they came home. My guess is they were drugged up before we brought them home.

I now have 2 cats. One was already spayed when I adopted her. When I got her declawed (laser method), I don't think they gave me any pain meds for her. They just wanted me to get her to stop jumping. Have you ever tried to do what with a cat. Not the easiest thing to do. When she developed complications (almost 2 years when I got it done), we did give her some meds just in case. Now, it only happens when it's cold out. She'll be 3 legged ever once in a while when the tile is colder than she expected. In the end, the vet couldn't find anything and she's seems pretty content otherwise.

My other cat was neutered and declawed (old fashion way) at the same time (3 months old). They kept him overnight at the vet's office supposedly due to the neutering, not the declawing. He didn't receive any pain meds when I brought him home. If he needed them, i would have gotten them. Also, he isn't experiencing any complications from the declawing.