Thanks everyone for the insight....I generally agree with most of you and try to avoid the meds unless explicitly needed. This is my first puppy so I was mostly concerned that she might be in pain and I wouldn't know...but it seems to be the consensus from experienced owners that if she were hurting, she would make it obvious to us and not be trying to jump and play!

So far she's fine without them


though she doesn't like that cone too much. ha.

Something that needs to be considered is how well a dog's liver/kidneys are functioning. Seeing as she is young, I can't imagine impaired function unless she was born with an abnormality. So, I don't think it's that big a deal to give pain meds, nor do I think it's a big deal to not give it if they are acting their normal selves.

Another thing too is that some dogs can be in pain but not show it until it gets unbearable. So she may (or may not) be in pain for all we know. Was there any blood work done before her spay?

Because some of us think for ourselves and know our animal better than any vet can and also may have had bad experiences with vets. They are not gods; they make mistakes and misjudgements. Each animal is different and a good owner knows her dog or cat

The great thing re advice is that it is just that.

Each to his own. I have lost critters to bad vet advice so now i take great care.

As a chronic pain sufferer I disagree with your last sentence. Need to be kept within limits else it drains and exhausts and makes life impossible.

On reflection, I think this also depends on the breed and temperament of the dog. There's a big difference between (say) a Staffie and a Cavalier. Like Malka I've had major surgery for breast and ovarian cancer, and for pain relief was given Paracetamol to take if I needed it - it worked surprisingly well. Two of my rescues were spayed without being given any follow on pain relief. it didn't seem to bother them unduly. Eddie the Beagle was given pain relief after his castration at 12 months - but like the OP's Husky, he really didn't need it.

We will have to agree to disagree then. I was taught by the pain clinic attached to the special spinal injuries unit how to "think" through the pain, and because I rarely take anything now, like CaroleC I can cope with just paracetamol when it is absolutely necessary - and it has to be very bad indeed before I take any.

I've had a few major surgeries (one was for an diaphragmatic hernia) where I didn't need pain medication, regardless of whether they gave it to me or not. One was emergency removal of severely infected tonsils (were not responding to A/B's, threat of sepsis was rather high).

I've also had a lung collapse (near fatal, extremely painful), and severe acute tonsillitis, neither of which I took pain medication for and it was extremely painful. I've been in 10+ car accidents (a few serious ones) and have broken several bones.

I've had a broken nose, broken fingers, all kinds of sprains and nasty falls, and never did I take pain medication. I've had gashes I didn't get stitches for and many other rather bloody incidents.

My mother has rather bad spinal arthritis and though she takes pain medication for it sometimes, it has stopped working well and she refuses to get anything stronger for it.

I was given IV morphine and some other stuff for a horrible tonsil removal, but it did not help (was still in awful pain) and I did not ask for it.

I just read the word Tramadol and shudder! I was Hooked on it for two years and would never recommend it as a pain killer in any circumstances! But I agree that if an animal is in pain it will rest and recover rather than overdo things if it thinks it is ok.

I disagree...

Bandit was prescribed Tramadol for his bone cancer, it kept him pain free for a few weeks , Tramadol is one of the strongest pain relief prescription drugs that is used for bone cancer in dogs............without it what is the alternative.........

Why would anyone leave a dog in pain when you could give it some pain relief. I find it odd to be honest.

Millie was in serve pain at the end, I shudder to think of leaving her just to get on with it, because I have an aversion to medication .

I have found, after many years of owning dogs and breeding dogs, that they are very much "self limiting". If it hurts they won't walk on it. Even with Rita who is in the last stages of CHD when she gets out of breath she will stop walking and lay down until she catches her breath. Dogs are very smart about caring for themselves. All you really have to do is watch them to know when it's time to interfere with meds or a vet visit.