A look at chronic pain in cats. Issue 3 (4th March 2017) - Ellen Goldberg, Mary
Abstract: Chronic pain is subtle and more difficult to recognise in both dog and cat patients. As veterinary nurses, we need to recognise both signs of chronic and neuropathic pain. Low-stress handling techniques should be employed with cats to reduce pain and distress that could exacerbate a pain state. While not many validated chronic pain scales are available for cats, assessment and recognition of feline chronic pain has been well described. Feline chronic pain conditions can be degenerative joint disease (DJD), non-DJD, nonmalignant pain and cancer pain. By learning about various feline chronic pain conditions and evidence-based treatments, we can alert our veterinarians quickly about changes that occur in the patient. One of our primary jobs is to educate owners about chronic pain to improve quality of life for our feline friends.