Introduction

Merial and pain management

Tenerife, the largest island in the group known to the ancient Romans as the Insular Canaria — the island of the dogs — was an appropriate setting for a meeting on the latest developments in pain control in canine patients.

Veterinarians from 15 European countries attended a conference organised by Merial Animal Health from April 22 to 24 to consider better ways to manage pain during post-surgical recovery and in chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis and cancer.

Studies by veterinary scientists across Europe have indicated that pain in dogs and cats is often poorly controlled. There are many reasons for this; owners are often unable to recognise the subtle signs of chronic pain in their pets, while their vets may be worried about the potential ill-effects of long-term treatment with traditional pain-killing drugs.

But speakers at the meeting insisted that there is no reason why an animal should continue to suffer. The latest generation of analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents, such as Merial’s firocoxib, are highly effective in treating both acute and chronic pain in dogs. And with a lower risk of the adverse effects on the stomach, kidneys and blood function associated with older medicines.