A paper recently published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery summarizes the most recent (2015) AAHA/AAFP pain management guidelines for dogs and cats. The task force aggregated current knowledge and recommendations of experts on both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic modalities for pain management. The first part of our series on this topic included a discussion on general principles relating to pain and an introduction to the various non-pharmacologic modalities to consider for your patients.
The AAHA/AAFP task force emphasized the concept of using the "PLATTER" algorithm for ensuring cohesiveness in the continuum of care for pain management. In my upcoming EBU, I detail the drugs / classes of drugs discussed in this paper including:
- Opioids - Butorphanol; Buprenorphine
- Tramadol
- NMDA-receptor antagonists - Ketamine; Amantadine
- Alpha-2 adrenergic agonists - Dexmedetomidine
- Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatories
- Acetaminophen
- Corticosteroids
- Local anesthetics and systemic use of lidocaine
- Gabapentin
- Psychotropic drugs
- Maropitant
- Bisphosphanates
- Polysulfated glycosaminoglycans
- Supplements
View it on demand in the Evidence Based Updates (running time 25 mins). (Approved for CE credit in New York and by the NJVMA, pending approval for CE credit by AAVSB RACE). We'll also be discussing this in depth in the upcoming EBU Roundtable on pain management.
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