The newest diplomate to join a growing Yorkshire referral centre has added to its range of services by launching a chronic pain clinic.

Liz Leece, an RCVS and EBVS specialist in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia, started the clinic at Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, last month (September), shortly after joining the practice.
Liz will head up the service to provide a bespoke pain management plan for pets referred to Paragon by external first opinion practices.

She has more than 20 years’ experience in specialist anaesthesia and analgesia and has extensive experience managing dogs and cats with complex problems causing chronic pain, including the use of acupuncture.
Liz said: “Our pets are similar to humans in the sense that the longer they live, the greater the chance they will develop conditions causing chronic pain.

“The clinic is available for any pet referred by their primary care vet for management of chronic pain, including osteoarthritis and other orthopaedic conditions, neurological and cancer pain.
“Animals will be assessed and advice given on how the pain can be managed, including monitoring a pet’s response to different treatments and what to expect.

“Management of pain will be multi-modal and may include the use of drugs for pain relief, physiotherapy methods, acupuncture and changes to lifestyle.”

Classic signs of early chronic pain in pets include behavioural changes; becoming quieter or sudden signs of aggression; licking, scratching and self-mutilation; and a decreased food intake leading to weight loss.
Paragon, which is part of the Linnaeus Group, opened in February 2018 following a £5 million investment project and now has specialists in emergency and critical care (ECC), soft tissue surgery, orthopaedics, oncology, medicine, neurology and anaesthesia and analgesia.

For more information about Paragon Veterinary Referrals, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk.