Our intention was to wait to give Stella any of the pain meds until we started to notice signs of discomfort. We thought we would watch for signs like licking of the arm, not wanting to lay on that side, not wanting us to touch it in any way, not eating or playing, or any sort of personality change from her usual self. But then we remembered what veterinarians have always told us in the past; because of their natural instinct to protect themselves against predators cats and dogs will always try to hide any pain or discomfort for as long as possible. By the time one would notice any distress the cat/dog may possibly be in a great deal of pain at that point because they could no longer hide it. We do not want Stella to have any discomfort so we are choosing not to wait until she exhibits any. The hospital dispensed the pain meds and already stated they would have expected to see burns at this point so it seems to us that giving her the meds would not be detrimental to her health. Just because we do not see anything does not mean she does not feel something.
Our goal from day one was to do everything possible to assure that Stella stays as pain free as possible. We started giving her the pain meds this morning and will let the radiation therapist know tomorrow that we are doing so prophylactically.
Last week of treatment starts tomorrow....Stella is rested and ready.
Some random pics as Stella gears up for her final week of treatment.
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