As we close out Animal Pain Awareness Month, we wanted to leave you with some information to help you determine if your pet may be experiencing pain.  Unfortunately, pets cannot talk to us to let us know if there is a problem.  Thus, we must rely on other methods to decipher whether they are experiencing any pain.  One of the best methods to determine if your pet is in pain is to observe their behavior.

As we discussed in a recent blog, there are several causes of pain, both acute and chronic.  Acute pain may be more obvious while chronic pain may be more subtle.  Often, chronic pain is misconstrued as “getting old” but the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) is quick to point out that age is not a disease.  Pain however is a disease and pain management is important to maintain your pet’s quality of life.

So how do you know if your pet is experiencing pain?  Aside from the more obvious signs such as limping, one of the best ways to determine whether your pet may be in pain is a change in their behavior.  This can include an increase in anxiety, depression, or aggression as well as decreased social interaction or play.  Your pet may become less active or have difficulty doing things that were not a problem before.  For instance, they may have trouble getting up from lying down or they may have difficulty jumping or going up and down stairs.

Other changes may include decreased grooming, particularly for cats.  Some pets however over-groom areas of pain and may lick or bite excessively at an area that hurts.  They may also experience decreased appetite as well as changes in their bathroom habits.  Changes in posture as well as increased respiration or excessive panting can also be a sign of pain.  You can view an extensive list of symptoms for both dogs and cats on the IVAPM website.

It is important to keep an eye out for signs that your pet may be in pain.  Pain management is an invaluable tool in maintaining happy and healthy pets.  Last week, we introduced you to Veterinary Pain Specialist, Dr. Douglas Stramel.  While his practice focuses primarily on pain management, all veterinarians are equipped to handle painful pets in some capacity.  Your veterinarian may also be able to recommend a local pain specialist if you’re seeking a more in-depth approach to pain management.

As always, if you think your pet may benefit from VetStem Cell Therapy, speak to your veterinarian or contact us to receive a list of VetStem providers in your area. 

As we shared last week, September is proclaimed as Animal Pain Awareness Month by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM).  Keeping with our theme of pain awareness, we would like to introduce you to veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner, Dr. Douglas Stramel of Advanced Care Veterinary Services in Carrollton, Texas.  Dr Stramel is the first and only Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and is also the President-Elect of IVAPM.

As the President of IVAPM, Dr. Stramel takes pain management very seriously and has made it a primary focus of his veterinary practice.  He employs advanced multi-modal pain management protocols including physical therapy, acupuncture, shock wave, laser therapy, and, you guessed it, regenerative medicine.

Dr. Stramel has been credentialed to perform VetStem Cell Therapy since 2007.  He is also an experienced user of Veterinary Platelet Enhancement Therapy (V-PET™).  One of his patients, a Great Dane named Pinky, received V-PET™ for a ruptured cruciate ligament last Summer.  After treatment, she was able to resume her daily walks and normal activities.  You can read Pinky’s story here.

We recently caught up with Dr. Stramel to ask him a few questions about his practice and pain awareness.  See his answers below.

What does it mean to be a Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner?

This certification indicates that someone successfully completed advanced training in pain management.  Certification holders demonstrate an advanced knowledge in assessing, diagnosing and treating painful conditions in animals. The certificate is made possible through the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) to both doctors and technicians.

How do you incorporate the use of regenerative medicine (stem cells and/or platelet therapy) into your pain practice?

In my practice, we have used regenerative medicine in many different cases, such as cruciate ligament injuries, arthritic joints, inflamed tendons and spinal injuries.  The most common use at this point in time is part of a treatment plan for cruciate ligament injuries.  We have even used Stem Cell Therapy to help reduce skin allergies.

Why is pet pain awareness so important?

Today’s pet owner is looking for alternatives to “just giving a pill” or to “surgery”.  Veterinary medicine has made some great advancements in the last 10 years and we now have the ability to help many different painful conditions that we struggled with in the past.  Client’s pets are living longer and are part of the family, they want their pets to live pain-free lives as they are living longer.  Our clients are realizing that “acting old” is not a real diagnosis and that a pet that “acts old” is really painful and they want more than just a pill to help their furry family member out.  This goes beyond the “typical” pet and includes horses, exotics, pocket pets and farm animals as well.  Through IVAPM we are advocating for best practices in the treatment of animals in pain and have selected September as Animal Pain Awareness month to correspond with Human Pain Awareness Month.

If you’re looking for a veterinary pain specialist and are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, check out Dr. Stramel.  And thank you, Dr. Stramel, for taking the time to answer our questions!

Tune in next week as we continue our pain awareness theme to learn some of the signs and symptoms that may indicate your pet is in pain.

Now that it’s September, we thought it appropriate to mention that September is proclaimed as Animal Pain Awareness Month by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM).  One goal of the IVAPM is to “educate and inform pet owners about their pet’s health and well-being when it comes to pain management.”

Pain in pets can be acute or chronic and can stem from many causes including acute surgical pain or pain from a chronic disease such as osteoarthritis.  There are three primary classifications of pain: 1. Nociceptive – caused by noxious stimulation (injury/physical damage, exposure to chemicals or exposure to extreme temperatures), 2. Inflammatory – caused by acute or chronic inflammation, and 3. Neuropathic – from damage to an element of the nervous system.  Pain management is an important component of veterinary medicine to ensure pets maintain a good quality of life.  There are many forms of pain management including medication, rehabilitation, and of course stem cell therapy.

We frequently discuss how stem cells can reduce inflammation and help to heal joint tissues, thereby leading to less pain and increased comfort.  But as we know, stem cells have multiple modes of action and the current literature supports that stem cells have the ability to address both acute and chronic pain.  More recently, have there been studies to evaluate stem cells’ direct effects on modulating pain.  Stem cells have shown to have pain blocking cytokines (small, secreted proteins), which can have opioid-like effects.  Stem cells have also shown the ability to reduce neuroinflammation (inflammation of the nervous tissue).  Thus, stem cells have the ability to address the three primary types of pain described above.

In the coming weeks, we will share information about how to tell if your dog or cat is in pain.  We will also introduce you to a VetStem user and Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner.  And as always, if you think your pet may benefit from VetStem Cell Therapy, speak to your veterinarian or contact us to receive a list of VetStem providers in your area. 

Harper is a four-year-old Landseer Newfoundland.  When she started limping at around three years of age, her owners became concerned and took her to the veterinarian.  It was determined that Harper had severe elbow dysplasia, which caused painful osteoarthritis in her elbows.  Harper’s veterinarian recommend surgery and referred her to a specialist.

Fortunately for Harper and her parents, that specialist was VetStem proponent Dr. Christopher Eich of Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital.  Dr. Eich recommended VetStem Cell Therapy in lieu of surgery.

Harper received stem cell injections in both of her elbows in October 2018.  Her owners reported that within three months, she was back to her daily walks and was even running around on the grass and at the beach!  You can read the rest of Harper’s story here.

We recently checked in on Harper and her owner reported that Harper is still doing great!  He stated, “She has had a busy Summer of road trips and making appearances at various festivals and events.  Attached is a photo of her from Special Olympics So Cal, where she greeted the athletes and took photos with them for a book.  Everyone we meet that we share her stem cell story with have all been amazed with how well she is doing!”  You can keep up with Harper and her buddies on their Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/ventures.of.harper.finn.bodhi/

If your dog has osteoarthritis caused by joint dysplasia, VetStem Cell Therapy may be a treatment option.  Speak to your veterinarian to determine if your dog is a candidate for stem cell therapy.  Or you can contact us to receive a list of VetStem credentialed veterinarians in your area.