Fergus Coutts Veterinary Pain Management

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Fergus Coutts Veterinary Pain Management

Providing animals with safe and effective relief from pain. In Stirling, Aberdeen & Inverness. Appointments can be made in Stirling and Aberdeen.

I provide safe, effective and humane management of pain in animals, with the aim of providing solace and restoring your pet’s quality of life. To arrange/ discuss appointments:
Broadley Veterinary Hospital, Stirling - 01786 445665
Ardene House Veterinary Hospital, Aberdeen - 01224 740700

03/06/2026

The goal of pain management is helping pets to live happy and healthy lives. Sometimes pets have a visible improvement in mobility, in other cases they just seem happier and have greater quality of life.

Is pain affecting my pet’s quality of life?
The effects of chronic pain are difficult to assess. Common behavioural changes indicating your pet’s quality of life may be affected by pain include:
• Losing interest in exercise or play.
• Not sleeping well, or just being ‘down in the dumps’.
• Showing signs of withdrawal from the family.

What conditions benefit from Pain Management?
A range of painful conditions have been helped with Pain Management:
• Pets with uncontrolled arthritis pain.
• Pets who are unable to take some pain-relieving medicines.
• Pets recovering from injury, or after surgery.
• Pets with back pain.
• Palliative care for pets with cancer.

Would Pain Management help my pet?
If you are concerned that your pet may be suffering from pain, please ask your usual vet for advice. They will refer you for an appointment if they think Pain Management could help your pet’s quality of life.

What is Pain Management?
The first step in Pain Management is to diagnose the causes of your pet’s pain. Working closely with you and your referring vet, we then develop a safe and effective treatment plan for your pet
This may include:
• Pain relieving medicines.
• Drug-sparing physical therapies, including acupuncture.
• Innovative joint therapies.
• Physiotherapy, to improve your pet’s mobility and help to restore confidence that walking need not be painful.
• Small changes you can make at home to improve your pet’s comfort.

This integrated approach treats pain from all angles,
helping to improve your pet’s quality of life.

26/05/2026

What is heatstroke?

With the recent heat wave it’s very important to be aware of the signs of heat stroke!

Heatstroke is a state of hyperthermia (elevated core body temperature above the normal range) resulting in heat injury to tissues. Heatstroke occurs when heat generation exceeds the body's ability to lose heat.

What are the main predisposing factors for Heatstroke?

A warm/hot, humid environment with inadequate ventilation
(e.g. due to weather conditions or animals being left in an unventilated room or car)
Inadequate shade
Inadequate drinking water
Excessive exercise

Be aware of the symptoms and look out for the signs in your pet.
These include:
Panting which increases as heatstroke progresses
Drooling, salivating
Agitation, restlessness Very red or pale gums
Bright red tongue
Increased heart rate
Breathing distress
Vomiting Diarrhoea (possibly with blood)
Signs of mental confusion, delirium
Dizziness, staggering
Lethargy, weakness
Muscle tremors
Seizures
Collapsing and lying down
Little to no urine production
Coma

HEATSTROKE IS A VERY SERIOUS, LIFE THREATENING CONDITION: IT CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO YOUR PET'S INTERNAL ORGANS, SOMETIMES TO THE POINT WHERE THEY STOP FUNCTIONING AND CAN BE RAPIDLY FATAL - IT REQUIRES URGENT TREATMENT.

Preventing heatstroke

The good news is that you can help to prevent heatstroke by ensuring your pets are kept in appropriate environmental conditions and being aware of the symptoms so action can be taken swiftly.

04/05/2026

Tail posture is one of the many subtle indicators we assess when evaluating pain in dogs.
A tucked tail, reduced wagging, or a shift from your dog’s normal posture can signal discomfort long before more obvious symptoms appear.
If you’re concerned about changes in your dog’s body language, our clinic can help you understand what’s going on and support their comfort.

01/05/2026

👋🏼

29/04/2026

Signs of Pain

It is important to be on the look out for early signs of pain in your pet so that if there are any health issues they can be addressed early. Osteoarthritis is recognised as the commonest cause of chronic pain.

The pain starts off mild then will gradually progress over the pets life it is important to stop the pain when it is mild as it makes it easier to control and manage as it progresses.

Signs of Pain in Dogs:
🐶 Reluctant to get up out of its bed
🐶 Slower on walks
🐶 Struggles with steps or stairs
🐶 Not grooming well
🐶 Reactive to being touched (jumps as if got a fright or yelp or growl when touched)
🐶 Quiet and doesn't want to play
🐶 Unusual aggression to you, or other bouncy dogs when on walks.

Signs of Pain in Cats:
🐱 Not as keen to go outside
🐱 Reluctant to get out of bed
🐱 Struggles with steps or stairs
🐱 Not grooming well (often in short haired cats there is a matt of hair that forms on their back just before the tail, this can be a sign that they are too sore to reach that far back)
🐱 Reactive to being touched (jumps as if got a fright, hiss or growl when touched).
🐱 Uses foot stools to get onto furniture, instead of jumping.

If you think that your pet is in pain and would like some help or advice for your pet please first contact your own vet, or contact me via email/telephone or DM.

05/04/2026

Happy Easter 🐣 Hope you all have a wonderful day !

28/03/2026

Tomorrow don’t forget to spring forward by turning your clocks forward one hour!

23/03/2026

Certain flowers, shrubs, wild plants and mushrooms can be extremely dangerous for your pet, so be aware of keeping your pets safe in the garden this Spring.

Species of poisonous plants that are common during springtime include lilies, daffodils, azaleas, amaryllis, snowdrops, aconite, cyclamen, rhododendron, poinsettia and tulips.

While it’s impossible to know where your pet is at all times, ensuring your garden is free from these plants will limit their exposure to potentially harmful flora.

As well as toxic plants, pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers all need to be kept in safe, inaccessible places, since these can lead to serious problems if swallowed. You should also prevent access to plants that have already been treated with such substances. In many cases, safer, non-toxic alternatives are preferable and are equally effective. You should also beware of snail and slug pellets, since a toxic compound in the pellets can cause poisoning for pets.

Outdoor flowers are one thing, but as many people like to decorate their homes with fresh flowers in spring, you should also be mindful of spring bouquets. For example, all parts of Easter lilies are highly toxic to cats, including the petals, leaves, stem and pollen. Ingesting even a small part of this plant can cause severe kidney failure. Before you buy flowers, check that they pose no risk to pets and advise guests to do the same before visiting your house.

15/03/2026

Happy Mothers Day 💜

Address

Broadleys Veterinary Hospital
Stirling
FK77LE

Telephone

+447768110495

Website

http://www.ferguscoutts.co.uk/

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