10 Signs To Tell If Your Pet Is In Pain
Can you tell if your pet is in pain?
This can be difficult, as many of the signs are very subtle.
It is thought that our dogs and cats have the tendency to ‘hide’ their symptoms of pain as an instinct for
survival. In the wild often the weak or elderly animals are targeted as prey…to
not end up as prey you need to not show your weakness.
Pain is difficult to quantify, and there is a large difference between individual
animals. A key point to take in is just because your pet isn’t showing obvious signs
such as excessive vocalizing, or obvious limping, doesn’t mean they are not in pain.
Causes
Causes of pain in dogs and cats can be many, but arthritis is at the top of the list.
Most pet arthritis is due to joint wear and tear, loss of the protective cartilage,
and subsequent joint inflammation and pain.
Back disorders such as spondylosis ( vertebrae fusing), disc disease, and pinched
nerves are increasingly being recognized as chronic sources of pet pain.
Chronic allergies with inflamed skin will cause irritation and pain in your dog, and
closely related to allergies are ear infections, which can be extremely painful.
Dog and cat cancer affecting the bones, skin and organs has many signs, one of them
being pain.
Dental disorders, such as a tooth root abscess can be very sore, and your pet may
just be reluctant to eat.
Here are some of the signs that veterinarians use to tell if your dog or cat is in pain:
1. Some pets may just be reluctant to move, to jump up, or have difficulty rising
after lying down.
2. Dogs and cats may tremble
3. Eat or drink less
4. Be generally depressed
5. Increased panting
6. Lameness, favouring a leg after a walk
7. Pain on palpation of a specific area of their body
8. Increased heart rate and breathing
9. Excessive vocalization.
10. Behavioral changes, such as being more aggressive, or not really reacting to
being petted and groomed.
11. Chronically licking a specific area ( ie over the hip or knee)
In tomorrow’s article I’ll be discussing some of the specific holistic options for
treating your dog or cat’s pain at home.
Heal Your Pets At Home!
Best Wishes,
Dr Andrew Jones, DVM
P.S. Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM are the top 3 ingredients I suggest you use for
naturally treating arthritis pain. These 3 ingredients make up my Joint support
supplement.
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