A Guide To Pain Relief For Dogs

No more aches!

pain relief for dogs

No pet parent likes to see their dog in pain — it’s so heartbreaking!

All you want is to make your pup’s pain go away ASAP, but it’s not as easy as finding a quick fix.

There are so many things you need to know about your dog’s pain before you can actually help him feel better.

Consider this your go-to guide for all your biggest questions about dogs and pain — including how to relieve it!

Acute vs. chronic pain

Your dog can be in two different kinds of pain: acute and chronic.

Acute pain tends to be short-term and sharp, whereas chronic pain is longer-lasting and alternates between dull aches and intense flare-ups.

Sometimes, whatever is causing your dog to hurt can even result in both types of pain.

Signs a dog is in pain

Spotting signs that your dog is hurting is the first step towards pain relief, but they’re not actually as obvious as that telltale yelping.

In fact, you might even miss a lot of the indicators that your pup’s in pain, since they’re more subtle and totally silent — like decreased appetite and excessive licking.

But the sooner you can identify the signs of your dog’s pain, the sooner you can make him feel better.

What can I give my dog for pain?

To relieve your dog’s pain, there are dog-specific prescription medications that’ll really help.

But there are also a whole bunch of other treatment approaches that are especially effective when they’re used alongside those meds.

In fact, there’s a name for combining multiple treatments (it’s called a multimodal approach), and our vets swear that’s the best course of action.

Of course, consult your vet before starting any sort of treatment because they’ll be able to tell you which options are the right ones for your pup.

What about over-the-counter pain meds for dogs?

If your dog’s clearly hurting, it can be really tempting to just reach in your cabinet and pull out your own favorite pain reliever, but that’s not the move.

Giving your dog ibuprofen, Tylenol or aspirin can have pretty serious — and even deadly — consequences.

Arthritis in dogs

Arthritis can cause your dog both acute and chronic pain, and there’s no treatment for arthritis itself.

Instead, the best thing you can do for your dog is to treat the symptoms he’s experiencing — which is why it’s crucial you know what signs to look out for.

How to help a dog with arthritis at home

Luckily, there are a bunch of ways you can help your dog’s arthritis symptoms from the comfort of his own home.

Getting him a dog bed that’ll soothe his achy joints will make a huge difference whenever he goes to lie down.

There are also joint supplements that can help pups with arthritis to comfortably and happily go about their daily lives.

While it’s certainly no fun to see your dog in any kind of pain, there are so many things you can do to make him feel better. And the more you know, the easier it’ll be to relieve his pain!