Non-Medical Pain Management Relief for Your Dog

Post surgical pain can be intense. This is magnified because a dog can't communicate their level of discomfort and therefore, pain levels can't be monitored as well as with humans.  If dogs don't get the necessary pain relief they need, they can lose their appetite and become stressed.  Both of these post surgical symptoms can  reduce the effectiveness of a surgery.

The most important thing to realize is that complete elimination of pain isn't always possible or even desirable.  The main goal is to keep your dog from intense pain which may lead to severe signs of stress and anxiety.  Pain management will allow your dog to at least continue on with some level of normalcy including eating, sleeping and simple interaction with people and other dogs.

Non-medical pain management goes beyond drugs.  Keeping your dog comfortable goes a long way towards recovery.  Here are 6 great ideas that will help speed your dog towards recovery:

1. Place their bed in a quiet area of the house to keep noise to a minimum.  Loud noises can cause discomfort which leads to stress.
2. Keep their bed in a well ventilated area away from strong smells such as purfume and cooking smells.
3. Monitor your dog's nutritional intake and general appetite.
4. Depending on the type of surgery, consider gentle post surgery massage.  Massage is a wonderful way to release toxins and can provide the personal touch they may need during this stressful time.
5. Gentle, spa type music can be very therapeutic.  Consider using music therapy before and after surgery to calm anxiousness and promote calm.
6. Bach Flower Rescue Remedy to treat the anxiety works wonders.  4-5 drops in their food will do the trick.

Surgery is painful enough, let's do our best to keep our dogs as comfortable as possible.

8 Car Sickness Cures for Dogs

There are many puppies and older dogs that suffer from nausea and vomiting when they travel in the car.  At the beginning the symptoms are most probably caused by the irregular motion in the car.  This can disturb the organ balance in the inner ear.  You also have to factor in the anxiety issue.  The problem gets even worse when they begin to associate a ride in the car with frightening circumstances.  A vicious cycle can be established that leads to high levels of anxiety and physical effects such as vomiting and even diarrhea.  If this is the case with your dog or a dog you know, there is help.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Play a cd that promotes calm.  I highly recommend the cd series entitled The Most Relaxing Classical... at
   http://bit.ly/cR4wCd
   They can be ordered at http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.amazon.ca/
2. Take your dog for short car rides that result with a walk in the park or a trip to the dog park.  By doing this, they will associate the ride with a reward.
3. If your dog is only mildly stressed, you can use food rewards provided that they aren't so anxious that they may vomit.

4. Avoid smoking in the car.  This can make them very nauseated as their noses are even more sensitive than ours.
5. Keep a window down for fresh air, even in winter.  Just a crack so that fresh air can circulate.
6. Never let your dog ride with his head hanging out the window.  Although they love to do this it is highly unsafe and you risk injury to their head and possible eye damage.
7. Position your dog with a dog harness such as Pet Buckle http://www.immioutdoors.com/petbuckle/  which will allow for stability and less movement which can result in motion sickness.
8. Before the ride, dispense 3-4 drops of Bach Flower Rescue Remedy.  This will help to promote calmness in your pet.  For more information about Bach Flower Remedies see http://bit.ly/9od84t

One final note, please always remember to NEVER leave your dog confined in your car on a warm or hot day.  Dog body temperatures run higher than ours and they heat up very very quickly.  Also, the temperature in a stationary car can rise dramatically in a very short period of time.

Finally, as with any of my posts, I always stress to use your best judgement and if you have any doubts, ask a professional.