CRC MULTIMDL MGT CANINE OSTEOART PDF

PREFACE

Multimodal' has become a popular term in the recent medical literature. Arguably introduced as an acronym for ‘balanced anesthesia', denoting induction by a multiple drug approach, multimodal is currently recognized to identify any protocol that includes multiple drugs, agents, adjuncts, or delivery methods. Marketeers have also come to embrace the term, as they tout the virtues of administering their products as part of a given protocol. Frequently this leads to advertising, where one is encouraged to incorporate a given product within ‘your multimodal protocol'. Herein, at issue is actually identifying a foundation protocol.

The multimodal management of osteoarthritis described in this work delineates an evidence-based approach for the canine patient with osteoarthritis, pursuing the objective of the best available medicine. Appreciating that surgical intervention may initially be required, particularly for stabilizing a joint, the major focus of this work is the ‘conservative' management of osteoarthritis. A simplistic approach is taken with the overlapping of two three-pointed triangles of management: medical and nonmedical. Medical management includes NSAIDs, chondroprotectant, and adjunct agents; while the nonmedical management includes weight control/exercise, EPA-rich diet, and physical rehabilitation. Each of these approaches has been independently shown to be effective, and while there are no published works on their collective synergism, the concept is intuitive.

As we learn more about the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis, we are also becoming more aware of how to implement treatments to attack various components of these pathways. Our challenge as veterinary health professionals is to maintain awareness of contemporary issues in treating osteoarthritis so that we can offer canine patients the care they need and deserve.

This textbook is intended for veterinary healthcare professionals seeking to understand better the issues related to pain management associated with canine osteoarthritis.

The images presented are referred to in the text in bold font. The multimodal approach is a trademark of Novartis AG.