Section: Diagnosis and Treatment
An important part of evaluating pain is to localize the pain, which involves determining what part of the body is painful. A thorough history and physical examination are performed. These must be done with care in order not to worsen the animal's pain and to avoid injury to the veterinarian and the veterinary assistants. Depending upon the outcome of the examination, further diagnostic tests may include the following:
Complete eye examination
Complete neurologic examination
Complete orthopedic examination
Thorough oral examination
Thorough examination of the ears
Thorough examination of the external genitalia
Complete blood count (CBC)
Biochemical profile
Urinalysis and urine culture
X-rays of the chest, abdomen, spine or any area identified as painful
An ultrasound of the abdomen or heart
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Cytology and/or biopsy of tissue or fluid
Serologic tests for certain infectious diseases
Bacterial culture of any infected tissues
Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) tap
Computed tomography (CT scan) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
