Senior Medical Director Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice Inc. Gainesville, Florida
Whenever possible patients should be sent home as soon as possible after surgery as a familiar setting is less stressful for most dogs and cats. Although perioperative analgesics will have been administered, continuation of care to ensure comfort is required after discharge. The duration of post-operative analgesic treatment will vary depending on the procedure with orthopedic surgeries requiring longer treatment than most soft tissue procedures. Considerations for “take home” analgesics include; can the owner administer the medication? Is the medication efficacious? Is the drug a controlled substance and has diversion been considered? Recent surveys report that 35% of cat owners failed to complete a course of medication. The formulation (tablet, liquid, compounded) may dictate success. Another way to look at continuation of analgesic care with 100% compliance, is to use long-acting drugs prior to discharge; these include transdermal buprenorphine solution (cats) and liposome encapsulated bupivacaine (dog and cat).
