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Pain Management

You may not know when your pet is in pain. At Marine View Veterinary Hospital, we’ll help you identify when your pet isn’t feeling their best and provide relief for your pet’s acute or chronic pain.

White dog laying in grass
White dog laying in grass

Veterinary Pain Management in Des Moines

Compassionate Care for Your Pets

You may not know when your pet is in pain. At Marine View Veterinary Hospital, we’ll help you identify when your pet isn’t feeling their best and provide relief for your pet’s acute or chronic pain. As an American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accredited clinic, we are fully equipped to provide your pets with the care they need to live their happiest, healthiest lives.

Acute vs. Chronic Pain: What’s the Difference?

When we talk about pain, we typically either classify it as acute or chronic. Acute pain refers to pain that is temporary (lasting less than six months) and is usually directly related to an injury, surgery, or other disorder.

Causes of acute pain include:

Acute pain can be caused by many things, but the main defining factor is that it can go away on its own after the underlying cause for the pain passes.

Chronic pain refers to pain that is ongoing, lasting even after the underlying cause has healed or gone away.

Causes of chronic pain include:

  • Obesity

  • Arthritis

  • Degenerative disorders

Chronic pain can be tricky to treat because there is often a progressive condition which requires ongoing management.

Treating Your Pet’s Pain

There are several different ways to manage your pet’s pain. As an AAHA-accredited animal hospital, our veterinarian in Des Moines is highly trained in providing the highest quality of care for your pets. We prioritize your pet’s comfort and quality of life. When we devise a pain management program for your pet, we look at their overall health and well-being before making recommendations for pain treatment.

In addition to traditional pain management medications, Marine View Veterinary Hospital is proud to offer therapeutic laser treatments. This non-invasive treatment is ideal for pets whose pain may not be fully managed by their medication regimen. If your pet isn’t able to tolerate other kinds of pain management treatments, or if they’re still experiencing pain on their traditional regimen, we may suggest therapeutic laser therapy as a supplemental treatment for both acute or chronic pain conditions.

Laser therapy can promote faster healing, stimulate blood flow, reduce inflammation, and stop the transmission of pain. We can use this technology to help pets recovering from surgery or struggling to manage their arthritis. Because it is a drug-free treatment, laser therapy is a great addition to a pain management program without the worry of unintended interactions.