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How can I tell if my dog is in pain?
By: Dr. Jamie Walkush
Here's some things to watch for to make sure your pet is comfortable
1. Behavioral Shifts
Dogs that are painful often are less engaged with their families and can seem withdrawn from their normal activities.
They can be restless, or have a hard time getting comfortable.
They may be apprehensive about being held, touched, or approached.
In more severe cases, painful dogs can have a decreased appetite, lick or bite obsessively at an area of their body, or exhibit aggression.
2. Change in Facial Expression
Painful dogs may have squinted eyes, or dilated pupils.
They often hold their ears towards their heads and can have a generally tight or tense facial expression.
Abnormal Posture
Pain can show up as a tucked tail, hunched back, or low head carriage. Often the body is tense and sometimes pets can stretch their bodies to relieve pain.
Changes in movement or gait
Limping and lameness are signs of pain. Difficulty standing, sitting, or laying down and well as hesitating before jumping, sitting or laying down can be signs your friend is uncomfortable.
Objective Changes
Increased heart rate, respiratory rates, and elevated blood pressure are changes often seen in painful animals and your veterinary staff can use these to assess your pets pain levels in a clinical setting.
If you think your pet is painful, please seek help of a trained veterinarian. Chronic pain is much more more difficult to manage. The signs can develop slowly over time and are easily confused with "slowing down" and the normal aging process.
Stay tuned for ways to manage pain in senior pets. There's tons of pharmaceutical and non pharmaceutical ways to help!
For the animals,
Dr. Jamie
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