We have used the same Vet clinic for the last 30 yrs +/-. Cuddles is our third Shih Tzu and she is now 10 y/o. It use to be that senior dogs got ANNUAL Senior Wellness Exams, now they are pushing SEMI-ANNUAL Senior Wellness Exams and since emails or “free” as opposed to mailing at least a postcard. That being said, I find it interesting that the vet is looking to provide PAIN MANAGEMENT for our senior dogs.
I wonder if us mere Homo sapiens could legally get our classification changed to Canis lupus familiaris so that we could see a Vet to get pain management ?
Dear BARBARA/STEVE,
CUDDLES is due for their Senior Wellness Exam. By sharing life and love with you, your pet has given you a precious gift. Now that your pet is “senior,” you have the opportunity to give something in return: the special care that makes their golden years happy and healthy. Request an appointment below!
Good senior pet health care requires attention to several factors:
- Diet and weight management
- Joint health
- Cancer screening
- Heart disease screening
- Dental maintenance
- Diabetes screening
- Function of thyroid, kidneys, and liver
- Eye and vision health
- Pain management
Regular exams and testing allow us to determine what is normal for your pet. Many conditions if diagnosed early can be successfully managed leading to better outcomes for your pet and reduced treatment costs for you.
During your senior wellness appointment, our veterinarians recommend:
- Complete physical exam – evaluates the heart, lungs, eyes, ears, abdomen, joints and skin
- Urinalysis – detects ph balance, urine crystals, signs of urinary tract infection or bladder cancer
- Intestinal parasite exam – Check for worms
- Vaccinations
- Heartworm test – check for fatal heartworms
- Early Detection Tests – evaluates liver, kidneys, thyroid, blood sugar, blood cell and platelet count
After the examination and laboratory testing, we will report the results and make our recommendations to you to help keep CUDDLES healthy and happy!
Filed under: General Problems
wish I lived wherever you are, Steve: here in the lovely state of Oregon, the wacko zealots are now going after vets (having spent the last several years going after people in pain), to cut off that “pipeline” of drugs that are “causing” the “epidemic.” My dog has had chronic, severe back & other problems for years –& he’s only 7. If they cut off his pain meds, I guarantee that you will be hearing about me going berserk on the 6 o’clock news. I am trying to keep going even tho they are removing my pain meds & leaving me in pain 24/7: if they force my dog into torture, I will do very, very, VERY drastic things.
Our 10 year old chihuahua, “Chiquito” began showing signs of hip fatigue and pain 2 years ago. He was in constant pain. This small canine is not only a pet, but a good friend.We took him to our veterinarian where he got a physical. He was diagnosed with diabetes during his wellness check as we observed he was drinking too much water. We give him two shots of insulin per day, without fail. He was also prescribed tramadol twice daily. Our pet and friend does not know what “getting high” is but, he sure responds to a lowered pain level. I have ZERO issues in getting his medication prescribed and filled. No, the MEDICATION does not make him feel like a puppy again however it does allow him to move about freely, at least part of the day which is essential for his overall health. I would rather give him the tramadol AS DIRECTED, ( just as I used medication for over 20 years) than to see him lying down all…day….long! There IS a lesson to be learned here by all the so called “experts” at CDC, DEA, HHS etc.
Since opioids have been out, the words “pain management”, which we see more and more, has attained ‘catch phrase’ status, and most who can’t think for themselves are suckers for catch phrases, gives the impression they, at least, are up on ‘current events’ and the latest and greatest. Of course what he really means is Tylenol…
I sincerely doubt that anyone is going to incur a large vet bill to receive an amount of pain medicine that likely wouldn’t kill pain in the average sized 5 yr old. I strongly suspect that this was simply a story concocted to justify allowing veterinarians access to the PDMP in several states. My best friend is a veterinary nurse of 25 years, she said that diversion of any meds was done by staff in most cases.
Actually, I am glad to read this. About a year ago (?), our little elderly 17 year old dog fell off our deck (9 to 10 ft). (She was going blind and a storm blew the gate to the deck stairs around, which we did not realize. She wasn’t allowed access to the deck because of her horrible eyesight). The impact broke her pelvic bone and knocked a tooth out.
After $400 worth of x-rays, our vet (no longer our vet btw) sent her home with NOTHING for her pain. She was clearly in pain – whimpering and whining and unable to use the bathroom because she couldn’t put any pressure on her back part.
Fortunately, she had taken tramadol years prior after she was spayed, so I gave her mine (properly doses for a dog of her size). Thankfully, it seemed to help her. We ended up having to have her put to sleep the next day. To be fair to the so-called vet, we were struggling with making that decision already.
Had the tramadol not helped her, I would have taken her to vet after vet until one gave her something for her pain. (Of course, I’m sure I would have been red flagged).
I ended up filing a complaint with my state board of veterinarians, which I never heard back from. I also let the national humane society, my state chapter of the humane society and even PETA (which I am not a fan of). I never heard back from any of them.
I had heard back when we had a “crisis” people were going to vets and getting pain medicine for there “pet” but were actually taking them themselves.. So with way things are today I would be surprised if you could get oxycodone for you pet since the few had to ruin that..I mean there is nothing worse than to see a pet/animal in pain and you cant do anything for them.. Sort of like with us now because of idiots in power
I so understand what you mean about nothing worse than seeing a beloved animal in pain; my dog has multiple chronic pain issues & if they cut off the med (tramadol) that turns his life from Hell to wonderful, I will truly go insane. When his pain isn’t treated, he literally won’t eat, doesn’t even really recognize me…it’s beyond nightmarish. This business about people purposefully hurting their animals always struck me as BS; not because I don’t think people are capable of such evil, b/c I know they are, but because the economics are ludicrous. The first time my 15-pound dog had his back attack, it cost me $800 dollars, for which we got an exam, an X-ray (which didn’t show anything), & 5 days’ worth of tramadol, which would have served to get a human high for about a day & a half. So a recreational drug abuser is going to spend over about $400/day to get a very mild high for a few hours? Then what? It’d be one helluva lot cheaper to go out on the street & buy actual strong drugs. Tho I’ve never done or bought illegal drugs, I live in a place where there are enough recreational users to have a vague idea of the economics of the thing. I admit I don’t have much respect for recreational drug abusers, especially as I blame them for causing the “crisis” that ended up with me & many people I know undergoing medically sanctioned torture, but even they’re not so stupid that they’d waste a buttload of money, time, & effort to get substandard drugs when it’d be a lot easier & cheaper to get the real things. The amount & type of the lies & BS stories that are going around in the media about the whole “opioid epidemic” really hammers home the old quote about making the lie big, simple, & keep saying it….& we know who said that, & how well letting an evil subhuman torturing mass murderer take over turned out.
Sometimes I feel like humans are so intrinsically stupid that it’d be best if we just all died out. It’s just a shame that we’re taking so many other species down with us, & causing so many creatures to suffer along the way. Including the innocent humans who suffer abominably because of others’ evil & stupidity.