September is National Pain Awareness Month.

Our pets suffer from aches and pains as they get older, similar to us. They start life being full of life and energy, but this can mean later in life they start to experience arthritic pain as well as muscular aches and soreness. This can be seen as stiffness on rising, slowing down on walks alongside changes in some behaviours, such as reduced interactions.

Here at Ryedale Vets we offer a range of services to help manage our pets who may be struggling with pain so that we can find something that works for your pet.

We have a top-quality range of joint supplements with varying active ingredients to help with the early stages of osteoarthritis; these can be started from a young age.

We have an onsite physiotherapist Kate Recchia based at the Helmsley branch. Kate sees a range of patients including arthritic patients, those patients after surgery, as well as muscle injuries or strains. She assesses each patient’s needs and formulates a rehabilitation and maintenance plan regarding exercise and tissue manipulation as well as showing owners exercises and muscle relaxation techniques they can do at home.

Katie Longmire, one of our vets, has done a specialist certificate qualification on chronic pain management and acupuncture. She can help assess the more subtle signs or indications that your pet may be silently struggling with their pain levels and offers individualised treatment plans around medications and acupuncture, often alongside physiotherapy.

Acupuncture requires no sedation, and most dogs come to really enjoy their sessions! It is done in an extended appointment with the owner present (not compulsory) and is done weekly for four weeks and then as the patient requires it; which is often once a month.

We have many different medications to manage the pain your animals may be struggling with, sometimes we use a combination of medicines to target different pathways of pain, very similar to how human pain is managed nowadays.

Our nurses also play a part in helping look after your senior pets; we have senior nurse clinics here with Kerry, where she discusses a range of topics which may make your pets’ life more comfortable. We also offer a district nurse visit service, which means we can hold any nurse clinics in the comfort of your own home at no extra cost. This has been very popular amongst those patients who struggle to get in and out of the car, as well as those with cognitive problems who may get unsettled being out of their home.

Recognising pain is not just limited to our canine patients; cats and rabbits suffer from arthritis as they age too. Subtle signs in these two species can be they become less mobile, as well as signs of being ‘unkempt’ due to being unable to groom themselves in the same way. Cats and rabbits can also be treated with medicines and acupuncture for painful conditions.

If you are worried about any of your pets showing signs of ageing, please do get in touch with us to discuss how we may be able to help them get a spring back in their step!

Station Road, Helmsley, YO62 5BZ
Tel: 01439 771166

133 Eastgate, Pickering YO18 7DW
Tel: 01751 472204

www.ryedalevets.co.uk