Clinician’s Brief podcast spotlights OA pain management beyond NSAIDs

CURRENT BRIEF VERSION: Clinician’s Brief has published a sponsored podcast episode, “Osteoarthritis Pain: Beyond NSAIDs with Dr. Robin Downing,” featuring pain specialist Dr. Robin Downing in conversation with host Dr. Beth Mollison. The episode, sponsored by PRN Pharmacal, focuses on practical management of osteoarthritis pain in companion animals, with an emphasis on recognizing pain, improving quality of life, and thinking beyond a single-drug approach. That framing aligns with broader veterinary guidance: the 2022 AAHA pain management guidelines emphasize proactive, multimodal care for chronic musculoskeletal pain, combining pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic tools rather than relying on one intervention alone. Clinician education in this area has also increasingly emphasized mobility and joint health more broadly, including rehab, exercise planning, and weight management—not just medications and supplements—as core parts of keeping pets functional over time. (cliniciansbrief.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the timing is notable because osteoarthritis pain management is getting more complex, not less. NSAIDs remain a mainstay in canine OA care, but the treatment landscape now also includes anti-NGF monoclonal antibodies such as Librela for dogs and Solensia for cats, alongside rehabilitation, weight management, exercise planning, and client education. That broader lens matters for cats too, which are often underrecognized despite high rates of obesity, aging-related primary OA, and mobility changes that can be mistaken for “slowing down.” At the same time, regulators have increased scrutiny of safety communication around Librela: FDA-approved labeling was updated on February 18, 2025, to add stronger pet parent information and discussion of potentially serious adverse events, reinforcing the need for careful case selection, monitoring, and expectation-setting. (todaysveterinarypractice.com)

What to watch: Expect continued discussion across veterinary medicine about how to balance newer OA pain options with multimodal care, monitoring, rehab-minded mobility support, and clearer pet parent communication as post-market safety data continue to evolve. (fda.gov)