What does a typical PCRS consultation involve?

When your pet is seen by a pain specialist at our hospital, we will check a body weight and spend quite a bit of time taking a detailed history from you. We may ask you to walk and or trot your dog, (for cats we allow them to explore the exam room) do various movements, and we will observe how your pet sits or lies down and rises. We observe such things as muscle tone, balance, tail position and other aspects of behavior. After making those observations, we do a physical exam of potential pain sources. Once we have done all those things, we may be at a point where we can make specific recommendations for treatment – but often times some diagnostic testing or other specialist consultation may be advocated.