Petpainrelief - Veterinary Pain Management with Dr James Hunt

16/11/2024

A thorn amongst three roses! Joining the other members of www.caninearthritisteleguidance.co.uk at The London Vet Show to talk complex pain cases, similarities and differences in chronic and acute pain, and overcoming hurdles in delivering pain services to pets - such an amazing team to work with 😁🐶🐱

11/11/2024

James is speaking at London Vet Show this Friday 🐾

As part of the INTERNATIONAL
VETERINARY ACADEMY OF PAIN MANAGEMENT stream there will be discussion on complex and common chronic pain cases, acute on chronic pain management and thinking outside the box when managing our patients pain.

Come along to gallery suit 11-12 from 1.30-5pm on Friday to learn more about pet pain management 🐾

06/11/2024

06/11/2024

Extremely disappointed that the Electrolux Professional washing machine we chose continues to leak, damaging our newly fitted units, despite being used for less than 20 hours and having two engineers attend to it. Their customer service had the gall to suggest that the damage wasn't from their machine, and that I was concealing some other source of water damage. Possibly the worst company to deal with ever

01/11/2024

We were pleased to be able to support our referring vets and physios this week, by performing musculoskeletal ultrasound to characterise the achilles tendinopathy and gastrocnenius muscle tear in this patient. With no evidence of tendon rupture identified, continuing conservative management should be an appropriate treatment strategy

25/10/2024

Halloween can be a scary time for most pets - we have created this poster to display in your window/door for trick or treaters which can be downloaded and printed 👻🦇

23/10/2024

Introducing the first of our speakers at our fourth annual virtual Conference on 30th November 2024!

Dr James Hunt BVetMed MSc CertVA DipECAWBM (AWSEL) PhD MRCVS will be speaking on "Mechanisms which drive and maintain chronic pain" at 9.45am

Book your ticket for this event now at: https://bit.ly/3ANglDa

20/10/2024

How do pain clinics help pets in pain?

Your local vet manages patients with painful conditions every day and is great at it. However, pain is complex, and sometimes difficult to assess and localise, or becomes exaggerated.

In these more complicated cases, it can be helpful to see somebody who focuses entirely on pain management.

James has undertaken masters and doctorate degrees in pain management in dogs and cats, and has published numerous scientific papers on the subject, as well as being actively involved in attending and delivering lectures on pain management.

Conditions we are frequently asked to help with include

✅ Osteoarthritis
✅ Intervertebral disc disease
✅ Cancer pain
✅ Feline hyperaesthesia syndrome
✅ Neuropathic pain

And our approach may encompass

🔎 Review of medications: There are a limited number of licensed medications for use as painkillers in dogs and cats. In cases where these are ineffective, more unfamiliar drugs may need to be used. James' research and up-to-date knowledge of the literature enables us to use appropriate treatments in the safest way possible.

💉Intra-articular and perineural techniques: The use of these is becoming acknowledged as helpful in some cases of joint or nerve problems, and we can offer a number of these in our clinic.

🖐️Acupuncture and laser: These options have benefits in musculoskeletal pain conditions and some conditions associated with changes in the nervous system processing of pain. They are well tolerated by many animals.

🚦Signposting to other specialist vets: If we feel that your pet would be better served by seeing a different type of service such as surgery, then we will be glad to explain this to you and your own vet.

All the while, with a focus on maintaining your relationship with your pet and optimising their quality of life, with advice on lifestyle and positive activities to enjoy.

If you are concerned about your pet then please speak to your own vet in the first instance.

If your pet is struggling with pain, we’re here to support you. 🐾

19/10/2024

**The double-edged sword of pain: evolutionary benefit and welfare challenge**

Pain serves a crucial role in survival by protecting animals from further harm. Mechanisms like nociceptive withdrawal reflexes, inflammation, and hypervigilance help prevent future injuries and promote safety. However, in companion animals whose needs are met by caregivers, pain no longer holds the same evolutionary benefit. Instead, it becomes a welfare challenge we must address.

Join us at the FABC Conference 2024 to explore how the biopsychosocial model can help untangle the complexities of pain and improve treatment strategies for our beloved pets. 🐾💙

🔗 [Learn more & register](https://fabclinicians.org/conference-2024-new/)

18/10/2024

Super excited to have been asked to speak about the mechanisms driving chronic pain for the Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians

Saturday 30 November 2024 Annual Virtual Conference Book Now 3 The Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians are delighted to be able to invite you to our annual remote conference on the 30 November 2024. We have an outstanding line up of internationally recognised experts in the fields of animal be...

17/10/2024

Looking forward to sharing thoughts around pain management in dogs and cats at London Vet Show https://london.vetshow.com/speakers/dr-james-hunt

11/10/2024

Love the tips from Canine Arthritis Management and here's mine

05/10/2024

Learn to read your dog’s body language and understand the signs of a happy, stressed or fearful dog.

16/09/2024

Great advice from Behavioural Referrals Veterinary Practice

What signs should a caregiver look for that their dog may be in pain?

Pain can be either acute or chronic and the signs can be quite different. Acute pain is associated with obvious behavioural changes such as limping, vocalising with whimpering or yelping and obviously protecting parts of the body that are hurting, for example by being tucked up and tense in the body posture or holding a paw off the floor. Acute pain may also lead to an obvious behaviour such as growling or biting when someone attempts to touch a part of the body that is hurting. Chronic pain is far more difficult to identify because the signs are often more subtle and more open to misinterpretation. This means that it can very difficult to detect chronic pain through a simple veterinary examination and identifying signs of chronic pain involves observation of the dog at home and asking questions about the pet's behaviour. The specific signs will vary depending on the location of the pain but common behavioural changes include lowered motivation to engage in social interactions, changes in mobility, for example refusal to get in or out of the car, reluctance to go on a walk, reduction in interest in play, reluctance to walk on slippery surfaces, changes in posture, such as sitting with the bodyweight shifted to one side or being reluctant to adopt a lying down posture. Behavioural changes may also be seen such as increased sensitivity to sounds, reduced tolerance of other pets in the household, reactivity to people who attempt to move or touch them. If a pet shows any change in behaviour it is always important to talk to your vet.

15/09/2024

Last week, we had to turn down an appointment, but for all the right reasons. We care about pets and their wellbeing, and sometimes that means directing clients to the best-suited service for their pet's specific needs, whether it's a different vet or physical therapist. We want to work together to ensure pets receive the best care possible, and we're grateful for the trust pet owners put in us.

05/09/2024

September is pain awareness month, and the University of Sao Paolo, with support from Zoetis and Elanco have produced a comprehensive app to train people in assessment of animal pain and facilitate pain assessment by owners, veterinary staff, and researchers - well worth a download!

Tutorial for using the Vetpain app