Pain Relief

Is your pet having difficulty recovering from an injury? Are they slow to get up in the morning due to arthritis? While our pets may instinctively conceal their pain, that doesn’t mean it isn’t severely affecting their quality of life. As your best friend and family member, your pet deserves to be comfortable and active for as long as possible. At Town & Country Animal Hospital in Fairfax, we’ll work with you and your pet to provide the most effective pain relief for dogs and cats. Along with medications and supplements, we offer pet laser therapy as alternative options for alleviating your pet’s discomfort. These treatments can be used in conjunction with medication for the best results.

Pet Laser Therapy

If you’re looking for a painless, drug-free, non-invasive pain management option for your four-legged friend, laser therapy for dogs and cats is one such option. The therapeutic laser transmits light particles at varying frequencies through a handheld device that is gently massaged over pain points on your pet’s body. The laser light is completely safe, causing no damage to surrounding tissues. The light particles penetrate the affected areas and boost cell production, reducing pain and inflammation and accelerating healing.

Laser therapy can treat the following conditions:

Signs Your Pet is in Pain

Pet wellness plans are extremely important, especially for senior pets, because they allow us the opportunity to inquire about abnormal behaviors and target potential problems. As our pets get older, they become more prone to arthritis and other debilitating conditions. Since your companion can’t tell you when they’re hurting, you need to check for one or more of the following:

• Difficulty standing/walking/jumping
• Decreased appetite
• Limping
• Decreased activity
• Shaking
• Panting
• Vocalization
• Excessive drooling
• Licking excessively at certain areas
• Pawing at mouth/face

If you observe any of these signs in your pet, let us know right away so we can make an appointment and develop a pain management plan that meets all of their needs. Call us today at (703) 273-2110.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Pain Relief

How do I know if my pet is in pain?
Pets rarely cry out unless pain is severe. More common signs include limping or favoring a limb, reluctance to jump or use stairs, changes in posture, reduced activity, loss of appetite, unusual aggression or withdrawal when touched, excessive licking of a specific area, or facial tension such as squinting or a hunched expression. Cats in particular are extremely good at hiding pain, so behavioral changes are often the only clue. If something feels off, trust your instincts and bring them in.

Can I give my pet human pain medications like ibuprofen or Tylenol?
No. Never. Ibuprofen, aspirin, Tylenol, and most other human pain medications are toxic to dogs and cats and can cause kidney failure, liver damage, or gastrointestinal bleeding — even at low doses. Do not give your pet any pain medication not specifically prescribed or approved for them. If your pet is in pain and you need to help them before a vet visit, contact us and we will advise you on what is safe.

What pain management options do you offer?
We use a multimodal approach, meaning we often combine several methods for the best result. Depending on the cause and severity of pain, options include prescription NSAIDs designed for pets, newer injectable medications like Librela or Solensia for arthritis, laser therapy, post-surgical pain protocols, and rehabilitation guidance. We match the treatment to the individual animal — what works for a healthy young dog recovering from a procedure is different from what is appropriate for a senior cat with chronic joint disease.