King Animal Hospital

PAIN CLINIC AND ACUPUNCTURE

Chronic and acute pain can be debilitating and significantly reduce your pet’s quality of life. Pain may also impair normal daily activities, making effective management essential. The Pain Management Clinic at King Animal Hospital is led by board-certified specialist in Anesthesia and Analgesia, Dr. Flavio Freitag.
The Pain Management Clinic provides pet owners with tools to assess and quantify their pet’s pain levels and understand how pain may be affecting their quality of life.
Through a comprehensive physical examination—including detailed pain assessment and review of the patient’s medical history—the pain management team can accurately classify your pet’s pain and develop an individualized treatment plan. By utilizing advanced pain-relief therapies and techniques, including ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, epidural and spinal anesthesia, infusion therapies, and tailored medication protocols, we are able to support patient comfort and effectively manage both acute and chronic pain.
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In addition to pain management, Dr. Freitag also offers Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) Acupuncture. Acupuncture can be used as a standalone therapy or in conjunction with conventional Western veterinary medicine for pain management and the treatment of various systemic conditions. As part of the acupuncture service, Dr. Freitag performs a complete TCVM examination and develops an individualized treatment plan that may include dry needling, electroacupuncture, aquapuncture, and laser acupuncture.
Our primary goal is to keep your pet pain-free whenever possible or, at the very least, significantly reduce pain levels to improve quality of life. We strive to provide a multimodal approach to pain management, combining therapies that are tailored to each patient while aligning treatment options with the owner’s goals and expectations.
THE PAIN CLINIC CAN MANAGE PATIENTS WITH A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
  • Cancer
  • Arthritis
  • Pancreatitis
  • Orthopedic disease
  • Neurologic disease
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PAIN CLINIC SERVICES:
  • Assessment and diagnostic of the type of pain
  • Establishment of an analgesic protocol to use at home
  • Ultrasound guided locoregional anesthesia
  • Pain catheter placement
  • Intravenous analgesic therapy
  • Acupuncture
  • Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine Exam
  • Dry needling acupuncture
  • Electro Acupuncture
  • Aqua acupuncture
  • Laser Acupuncture

OUR PAIN CLINIC SPECIALIST

DR. FLAVIO A.V. FREITAG

DVM, MSc. DVSc., CVA, DACVAA, ACVAA Founding Fellow – Pain Management

Board-Certified Anesthesiologist

Dr. Freitag obtained his DVM degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Parana (PUCPR) in 2015, graduating with honors, first of the class. After graduation he completed a 2-year residency in Anesthesia, with parts in Critical Care, from 2016-2018 at the Federal University of Parana (UFPR) where he also then obtained his Master of Veterinary Science in 2019. He then moved to Canada in 2019, to pursue his Anesthesia Residency and Doctor of Veterinary Sciences at the Ontario Veterinary College, 2019-2022. After residency, Dr. Freitag practiced at the Veterinary Specialty Centre of Newfoundland and Labrador, where he was the first veterinary anesthesiologist of the province. In 2023 Dr. Freitag become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia and started a pain clinic at the hospital. In 2024, Dr. Freitag moved back to Ontario and has been working at King Animal Hospital ever since, where he serves as a Veterinary Anesthesiologist and oversees the Pain Clinic and Acupuncture Service. In 2025, Dr. Freitag was among the first group of diplomates to earn the title of ACVAA Founding Fellow in Pain Management, becoming part of the group helping to shape the future of this fellowship. In early 2026, Dr. Freitag also became a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (CVA) through Chi University and brought this treatment modality to King Animal Hospital. Dr. Freitag’s professional interests include ultrasound guided loco-regional anesthesia, with focus on TAP block, use of pain catheter, CPR, pain management, chronic pain, anesthesia in different species (small animals and equines). And he has published over 20 manuscripts as first author.

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