Dr. Robin Downing spotlights practical OA pain management

Clinician’s Brief has published a sponsored podcast episode featuring veterinary pain specialist Dr. Robin Downing on practical management of osteoarthritis pain in companion animals, with a focus on moving “beyond NSAIDs” to more complete pain-control strategies and better conversations with pet parents about quality of life. The episode, sponsored by PRN Pharmacal, positions osteoarthritis as a chronic, progressive pain condition that requires active recognition and treatment, not something to dismiss as normal aging. That framing aligns with current AAHA pain guidance, which emphasizes structured assessment and multimodal management of chronic musculoskeletal pain. (cliniciansbrief.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the message is less about a single product and more about care delivery: routine pain screening, clearer client communication, and individualized multimodal plans that may include weight management, rehabilitation, environmental modification, NSAIDs, and newer options such as anti-NGF monoclonal antibodies. That matters as practices manage growing demand for long-term osteoarthritis care in aging dogs and cats, while also weighing newer evidence on agents like bedinvetmab, which the FDA approved in 2023 for canine OA pain and which was shown in a 2025 comparative trial to provide pain relief comparable to meloxicam, with fewer reported adverse events in that study. (veterinarypracticenews.com)

What to watch: Expect continued attention on how clinics combine traditional analgesics, rehab, nutrition, and biologics into practical OA protocols, especially as post-approval data on newer therapies continue to accumulate. (news.zoetis.com)