It has always astonished me how dogs and cats get along with the pain that would take us to our knees.  I remember my husband trying to pass a kidney stone the size of a grain of sand and how I reminded him that I had had two children.  Probably not the best wifely comfort I could have offered at the time.  But do you wonder if animals are more tolerant because no one has said to them, “Boy, I know that has to hurt!”

I was reminded this week just how resilient they all are.  We had a little mixed Labrador puppy transfered to the Richmond SPCA from one of our local animal control agencies.  He had likely been hit by a car sometime on Monday and was having trouble with both front legs.  He was actually trying to stand on them.  He was wagging his tail and attempting to play with another puppy in the room.  He ate what we offered him willingly and let us examine him without protest.  But when you looked at this little fellow’s radiographs he had fractures of both of his front legs between the elbow and shoulder.  Now how in the world could he even think about standing on them much less even try? He had been given pain medication at the emergency clinic on Monday night and another dose when his radiographs were done on Tuesday but not anything per se for several hours. 

When I first started practicing, pain management in veterinary medicine was fairly cutting edge.  I remember noting how much more quickly animals recovered from surgery and injury when they were able to rest comfortably.  We always knew they felt the same types of pain as human beings, but hiding their pain is a good survival tactic in the wild.  Now there are numerous choices to control every type of pain that a pet may experience.  How lucky we are that as pets have become mainstream members of our families that the pharmaceutical companies have continued to provide us with products that will safely keep them comfortable no matter what their pain level or cause.

As an added note, it is through the generosity of donations to our Cinderella Fund here at the Richmond SPCA that we were able to get this puppy the orthopedic repair that he so desperately needed.  Thanks to the generous support of this fund and our deep belief in orphaned pet rehabilitation, this little guy is one lucky puppy.

Today’s blog was written by Dr. Angela Ivey, director of veterinary medicine at the Richmond SPCA. Dr. Ivey spent many years in private veterinary practice before joining the medical staff at the Richmond SPCA in 2004. 

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