How do you know?

So as you may have read, Zoe's dental was today. Since there were 2 extractions, the vet sent home some pain meds. He said to give her 1/2 a pill if she needs it. I always ask a million questions, but I forgot to ask the most obvious one. How do I know if she's in pain? I suppose I could just give it to her twice a day as the bottle suggest. What do you think?

Some dogs are really, really good at hiding pain. Another thought to consider is it's proven that preventing pain is easier than fixing it.

She'll logically be in the most pain the first few days after the dental. It may be worth it to give her a dose twice a day for the first couple days at least. If it makes her too drowsy (is it Tramadol or Rimadyl by any chance?) you can either reduce the dose or call the vet and ask if you can reduce the dose.

Signs of pain would be drooling, shaking, crying, panting, general discomfort, etc. Like I said, they're pretty good at hiding it. Did they recommend you feed soft food or water down her kibble?

Tramadol. Yeah, I think I'll just give it to her twice a day to be safe. she's got 7 days worth.

thanks for the info!

Wow, they hooked her up! Most vets hand out rimadyl and that's it.

Half a pill twice a day for the first few days is probably totally adequate. Like Theresa said, preventing pain is easier than fixing it. I usually just assume they are in pain, and give them pain pills for a few days.

Renee wrote:Wow, they hooked her up! Most vets hand out rimadyl and that's it.

Half a pill twice a day for the first few days is probably totally adequate. Like Theresa said, preventing pain is easier than fixing it. I usually just assume they are in pain, and give them pain pills for a few days.

maybe she can share with mommy? KIDDING! she's also got antibiotics. thankfully they're much smaller than the horse pills she has to take for her allergies. seriously don't know what I'd do without pill pockets.

My vets require bloodwork prior to any surgical procedure (even dentals) and it's partially to know what pain meds they are comfortable prescribing. I'd say the vast majority of the time we prescribe Rimadyl, but Tramadol goes home instead of we don't have current bloodwork (to check for liver issues), if the dog has a history of gastrointestinal issues or liver issues, and if they dog has recently been on steroids. Another perk of Tramadol is that it can be filled at places like Walgreens or Target (though I hear Target may now carry drugs such as Rimadyl?).

Zoe will probably be okay if you don't do the full 7 days of tramadol. It doesn't hurt to keep the extras on hand, just make sure to ALWAYS check with your vet before giving her anything, even if it was prescribed before. I've given Reg a tramadol for joint pain before. I know a good number of geriatric dogs, who can't have Rimadyl, who are on Tramadol for arthritis.

We did a full panel of bloodwork ahead of time. The vet prescribed the medication. Should be all good. I just wasn't sure how to spot signs of pain in a dog as they can't "tell" you.

I always do at least 3 days and more if they are older or the dental was extensive!