With pets, like their owners, now living to an older age, more of them will be impacted by chronic pain issues.

Karen Walsh is an RCVS specialist in veterinary anaesthesia and European specialist in anaesthesia and analgesia, and in this Vet Times Podcast she discusses pain management issues in companion animals.

–

Karen graduated from the RVC in 1994. After enjoying work as a first opinion vet, she trained at the Animal Health Trust and the RVC as a veterinary anaesthetist. She gained her RCVS Diploma in Veterinary Anaesthesia in 1999 and her European diploma in the same discipline in 2007.

After working many years as an anaesthetist in a variety of referral centres, Karen joined Eye Veterinary Clinic – a veterinary ophthalmology referral practice based in Herefordshire – as owner and director in 2017.

Karen enjoys the variety of the work in a busy referral clinic, but has a particular interest in pain management. Her role is to support the nurses and vets in the field of anaesthesia, as well as running pain clinics and a consultancy for other veterinary clinics.

Karen has written the Focus article in Veterinary Times (volume 50, issue 8 – 18 February issue) “Managing chronic pain in cats and dogs”, which is also online at https://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/managing-chronic-pain-in-cats-and-dogs/

Within the article, she discusses the importance and process of detection and treatment in both canine and feline patients.

Much as in this podcast, she looks at a multimodality therapy approach, and stresses that a close working relationship with the pet owner is vitally important for success.