A multimodal approach to pain management relies on the use of two or more analgesic drugs with differing mechanisms of action. The goal of a multimodal approach is to provide additive or synergistic analgesic effects while reducing the doses and potential side effects of any individual drug. Importantly, multimodal analgesia can provide superior analgesia to a single analgesic, even if that single analgesic is administered at very high doses. For example, the combination of morphine and a NSAID provides much better analgesia than simply administering morphine to the point that the patient is obtunded. Many of our patients are painful and anxious, and there is no one right way to manage the painful and distressed animal. Pain and anxiety often have similar clinical signs; therefore, it may be difficult to determine what approach should be taken with an individual patient.
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