Pathophysiology and Management of Surgical and Chronic Oral Pain in Dogs and Cats

Pain involves a myriad of physiochemical responses leading to the perception of an unpleasant sensation arising from tissue damage. An understanding of the terminology and basic neurophysiology involved with the pain process is helpful in preventing and treating discomfort in our patients. A general understanding of the concepts of nociception, peripheral sensitization, and central sensitization will allow decisions to be made on the choices of analgesic agents in each individual patient based upon the type, duration, and severity of the pain. Using preemptive pain management with a multimodal approach provides the most consistent and predictable results. Analgesic protocols should be closely scrutinized on an individual basis with careful patient pain assessment during the postoperative period. Chronic pain mechanisms, particularly significant in cancer pain and stomatitis, require aggressive and perhaps unique approaches to ensure maximum patient comfort.