Dog Pain

How Can I Tell If My Dog Is In Pain

Nurturing a dog is a complex task as it requires honest efforts to become a successful pet parent. For ensuring the good general well-being of your dog, it is important to look after him in the best possible ways. Many times, these furry pals suffer from pain that causes them discomfort as well.

Since dogs cannot speak, certain symptoms depict their misery. Like humans, dogs can also feel the pain; the only difference is that they cannot communicate it. In this blog, we would shed light on how to identify if your dog is in pain.

When a dog suffers from pain, it would affect his daily routine activities. In such cases, the pet would become lethargic yet restless. There could be a lot of health-related reasons also that cause pain and discomfort in dogs. Due to this, dogs often tend to become hostile at times and indulge in self-mutilation as well. Your pet dog might even encounter unusual behavioral changes. Well, the most common signs that signify the pain of your dog are whining, yelping, etc.

As responsible pet owners, it is our foremost duty to examine the pet dogs to ensure their good health. The following are the few signs that a dog tends to show when he is suffering from pain or discomfort.

Lethargy and Reduction in Activity Levels

When dogs are in pain, they refrain from moving due to the uneasiness. As a result, they will become lazy, thereby staying at the same place for longer. Also, the activity levels of the dogs tend to drop to a great extent due to the pain.

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Slight discomfort can also affect the physical activities of dogs. So, if your beloved pet is in pain, he would not be as energetic as during the normal days.

Mood Swings and Biting

When dogs are suffering from pain, they instinctively become aggressive. Due to such discomfort, pets often show hostile behavior and might even snap at their owners. Also, if you are touching the affected area on your dog’s body, then he can bite you out of pain. If a dog is not feeling well, he would either become aggressive or gloomy.

Restlessness and Lack of Sleep

If your beloved pet is restless and not able to sleep, then it signifies that something is not right with him. Generally, the discomfort caused by the pain would also not let your dog sleep.

Lack of good sleep can often make your pet restless, making him readjusting his position. In some cases, dogs might even sleep more than usual to ease their pain.

Loss of Appetite

If the source of pain has originated from the mouth of your dog, then he would restrict his intake of food and water. Also, in certain specific health issues, your pet might suffer from appetite loss. In some cases, dogs that are seeking medication for easing the pain would not crave for food or water as usual.

Difficulty in Pee and Poop

If a dog is suffering from back pain, then he would face difficulty in his bowel movements. It can often lead to constipation in dogs as they refrain from defecating due to the pain. Also, the pain results in slowing down the mobility of the intestine. Due to this, it becomes difficult for the dogs to lift their legs. It may also affect their peeing posture.

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Mobility Problems

If your pet dog is having pain in any of his body parts, it would affect his mobility. As a consequence, your pet will not be able to perform his normal movements. In such conditions, dogs face difficulty in running, jumping, and climbing the stairs. Also, the joints, back, or leg pain might be the prime reasons for shortened mobility in dogs.

Abnormal Breathing Pattern

The dogs that are experiencing any sort of discomfort in their body would pant. But, some dogs might also experience shallow breathing. You can notice an unusual difference in the chest and abdominal muscles. Both of these play a pivotal role in the breathing process of your pet. When a dog is aching, his pulse rate will also increase. This happens when someone has touched their affected body part.

Unusual Changes in Facial Expression and Posture

The pain leads to some unusual changes in the facial expressions of your dog. Flat ears, blank stares, wide eyes, bigger or smaller pupils are some of the most common changes. Also, your pet dog might look sleepy even after resting throughout the day.

Furthermore, the pain also affects the posture of the dogs. Some will prefer to lie down in one place for longer whereas some will try to move. Besides this, a hunched posture is a sign that the body of your pet is aching. At times, the body can also swell due to pain or inflammation.

Self-mutilation, Grooming, and Vocalizing

The dogs tend to itch, bite, or scratch a particular part of their body which is causing discomfort to them. Also, during such situations, the dog might groom a particular body part in excess. The coating of an unwell dog begins to lose its natural luster and smoothness as well.

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The dogs vocalize by making loud and unusual noises to communicate their suffering. For this, the dog might growl, whimper, or bark.

Lack of Socializing

If your dog is keeping himself isolated, then it denotes that something is not right with him. The dogs with discomposure or pain would not socialize much with anyone around them. Also, when a dog is encountering any sort of health ailments, he would not relish petting.

Wrap Up

Health problems such as pain and inflammation can cause discomfort in pets. In case if you notice any of the above-mentioned signs in your pet, then consult a good veterinary doctor.

Refrain from giving self-medication to your pet dog as it can worsen his condition. To keep your pet contented in times of pain, give him all the love, care, and attention to ease his discomfort.

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