A big part of our job as veterinarians is
to ease suffering and treat painful conditions. Recognizing the signs of pain
in animals is not a simple task. Animals can’t tell us verbally if they are in
pain and different species (cats, dogs, birds) show different signs when they
are in pain. In addition to the variation between species there is variation
between individual patients. Just like with people, animals can have different
“pain thresholds” and some may be more sensitive, while others are more
stoic. As veterinarians we have
formal training in recognizing and treating pain in animals but sometimes it can be a challenge
helping owners understand when their pets are hurting. Animals
often don’t react the way that a person would expect them to when it comes to
pain. My goal with this blog is to help
owners become more adept at recognizing when their pet might be in pain. We
will cover cats and dogs in part one and I will post part two on rabbits and exotic
pets in the coming week.
Let’s start with dogs and pain
first. Many owners expect that when a dog is in pain it will yelp, cry, whimper
or hold up the affected body part. This
may be true for some dogs, especially if they have an acute or sudden injury,
but it doesn’t hold true in all situations. Other signs to watch for include
shaking or shivering, reluctance to move or lack of appetite. If a dog has a
sore abdomen it may stand with its head hanging lower than its body, or may
adopt a “praying posture” with it's front legs outstretched. Many times a dog in acute pain will be less interactive
with the owners. Dogs, cats, and many small mammal have very similar physiology
to people, so if they are diagnosed with a condition that would be painful to a
person it is safe to assume it is painful for them. This is true even when we are not seeing
any obvious signs of pain. Sometimes we
have owners phone in and tell us that their dogs is limping but that they do
not think it’s in pain. In most cases if
an animal isn’t putting full weight on a leg, it is at least partially due to
pain. Exceptions can include nerve damage or certain mechanical abnormalities
of the leg. Chronic pain, which is what
occurs in cases of arthritis and also with dental disease is different than acute (or sudden onset) pain. Dogs in chronic pain may be stiff to rise, slower on walks, or may want to walk shorter distances or have trouble with jumping or stairs. Often people tell
us they think their dog is just getting old. Although arthritis is much more
common in senior pets it is not considered a normal part of aging and there are
lots of treatment options (see my blog post on osteoarthritis in senior
pets from November).
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| Photo Credit to Catingtonpost.com |
Though cats are physiologically
very similar to dogs and people when it comes to pain perception they are psychologically
very different (as anyone with a cat can attest to!). Recognizing pain in cats can be a real
challenge. Some signs of acute pain can include sitting in a hunched position,
lack of appetite, squinting of the eyes or hiding and decreased activity. When
it comes to chronic pain and arthritis things can be even more subtle. Sleeping
more, hesitation before jumping, urination or defecation outside the litter box
and any changes at all in a cat’s posture when walking can be indicators of
arthritis. Usually the best way to tell
if a cat has chronic pain from arthritis is to try them on a pain medication
and see if there are any noted changes in behavior. Sometimes owners will see improved mobility
on the pain medication other times they might just notice their cat is sleeping
less or has a better appetite. When doing a trial of pain medication I
encourage you to stick with it for at least a week even if you are not seeing
any changes. The inflammation in the joints has built up over months and can
take time to go down when using anti-inflammatories. Just like in people, pets
sometimes respond better to one medication than another and we may need to try
a couple of options before we find one that will work well in your pet.
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| This hunched position can mean back or abdominal pain |
A quick note on dental pain: dogs
and cats will most often continue to eat despite having painful mouths. They
have strong survival instincts and for many food is their favorite thing. Don’t
assume that because your pet is eating that means it does not have pain in it's
mouth. If gums are red and swollen then there is associated pain and because
dental disease is often chronic in nature, building up slowly over time, the
signs of pain are not always obvious. Animals learn to get by despite the pain but
this does not mean they won’t benefit from some pain medications.
Remember that most over the counter
human pain medications are not safe for your pet so if you have any concerns
that your pet might be in pain the best thing to do is to call your
veterinarian.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned
to part two on rabbits and exotic pets!
Dr Ingrid
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