CARE BEYOND A CURE: THE COMMANDMENTS— ONCOLOGY SECRETS TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE CANCER PATIENT

摘要

"Thou shalt not let them hurt." This is the first and greatest commandment. When dealing with pain management in dogs with cancer and other disorders it is far easier to prevent discomfort than it is to actually treat it. That means that it is very, very important to anticipate the degree of discomfort that the patient is likely to undergo. Initially, comfort care (warm blankets, heating pads, gentle petting in a soft, quiet environment), plus a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent and/or a nerve block, can be of great value. If it is anticipated that discomfort is going to be profound, then, rather than stopping the aforementioned therapy, it is optimal to add on tramadol, and/or gabapentm, and/or opiates orally or as a transdermal patch, such as with fentanyl. If the pain is expected to be extreme, then it is very important to transfer the administration of these drugs from oral to intravenous constant rate infusions or epidural administrations.