Surgery hurts. A knife slices into flesh. Organs are shoved aside or sometimes pulled out of the body to make way for other organs or tumors to be cut out. Blood is spilled. Bruises appear. Holes are drilled and screws are placed into bone. Hammering, sawing and chiseling occur. There is nothing pretty about surgery. Surgery is violent.
I have experienced surgery myself. Years ago some uterine tumors were found and a hysterectomy was in order. There were a couple of complications and the procedure took longer than expected but it was a success. When I woke up I experienced the most intense physical pain of my life. It felt as if my body was on fire from my chest down. I panicked. My mother, who has since passed on, held my arms down trying to calm me saying that they were hooking up the pain medication and to hold on a little longer. A couple of minutes later the morphine drip started to work its magic and everyone and everything floated away.
It's not so different for animals. Some have said that animals do not feel pain like we do. This is wrong. It is true that some do not show pain as humans do but there is a reason. They are hard wired not to. In the wild, if they show weakness, they could be marked for attack. This is instinct- it does not go away. I've seen hundreds of cats and dogs wake up from surgery. Some pant (a sign of pain and stress), some whine, some howl, some scream and fling themselves repeatedly into the metal wall of their cages seemingly trying to get away from their bodies. I have been told that these actions are reactions to the anesthesia. I have to wonder. When I was being held down trying to get away from the searing pain was that a reaction to the anesthesia? If the pain was all in my head why did they give me a morphine drip?
Veterinary medicine has come a long way since I started this journey over 20 years ago. Back then the thought was not to give much if any pain medication. The reasoning at the time was the pain would keep the animals quiet and still. If they didn't feel pain they might be up running around. Since then, studies have proved that giving pain medication reduces stress and is better for recovery. (DUH!! Millions of dollars spent on simple logic.) The veterinary profession has stepped up to pain management which is great. Still, some are not where they should be. Low cost spay and neuter programs are much needed however, there are things to watch out for. Some (and I emphasize some) practices cut corners. Most practices give a pre-surgical injection of pain medication to assist with post-surgical pain. Sometimes with low cost programs, this injection is omitted due to cost. Sometimes post-surgical oral medication is omitted also to save money.
When a body is open for a prolonged amount of time, the heat flows out and the body temperature goes down. Heated pads placed under the animal during surgery and blankets in cages help to retain body heat. Some animals may not get the blankets and instead get a single layer of newspaper on their metal cage to cut down on laundry costs. Low cost surgeries are many times given to the new veterinarian, or the one with the least experience. This is a case of buyer beware.
If your animal needs any surgery or if you are participating in a low cost program, do your homework. Find out who will be doing the procedure. Ask about pain management and make it clear you want the best for your pet. If pain management costs extra money- pay for it. Bring your own blanket if need be. Put yourself in your friend's place. How would you like to be treated?
