10 Signs of Dog Pain. The face is the mirror of the soul, and if we observe our furry friend with a sad expression or denotes discomfort, this is certainly the first sign of pain in dogs that we must identify.
While dogs don’t have the ability to speak, they have many other ways to express their pain and ask us for help, such as actions and behaviors. In this sense, it is our duty to learn to identify these signals to act properly and find the reason for the discomfort the animal feels.
Do you have a dog and want to take care of it in the best way possible? We invite you to read this article about the most common signs and symptoms of pain in dogs.
1. Exaggerated gasp
A Signs of Dog Pain is Jadear is a totally normal behavior in dogs, especially those hot days or when the ride has been very active. Gasping is a natural way of dogs’ body to cool their body and cause body temperature to drop.
The problem happens when this excessive gasp comes out of nowhere. If you see that your dog is panting more than normal, it may be a sign that it doesn’t feel quite right, that it’s going through an episode of stress or fear due to some pain. You may be suffering from heatstroke, poisoning, or having a breathing problem.
2. Accelerated breathing
In relation to excessive gasping, accelerated breathing is another sign of pain in dogs, since the discomfort they feel causes them a feeling of lack of control over their body, prevents them from continuing with their usual routine and generates anxiety , stress and nerves.
Just as we humans also see our breathing accelerated when the pain we feel is very intense, precisely, because we do not notice an improvement or not to bear it, the animals experience these same sensations.
On the other hand, accelerated breathing can be an indicator of an airway-related problem, so we’ll have to pay attention to whether it does so because of difficulties when it comes to breathing or for the above reasons to carry all the information possible to the vet.
3. Isolation and aggressiveness
Other signs of dog pain is dogs are much more like humans than they are we believe. Some people when they don’t feel good prefer to isolate themselves or tend to develop their pain through aggressiveness. Dogs are the same and, therefore, it is normal for one who feels pain to prefer to be left alone or adopt an aggressive attitude.
If you notice that your dog starts adopting an antisocial dynamic, stop greeting you when you get home, avoid any kind of physical contact or become aggressive when you try to approach, it’s probably pain symptoms that your dog is manifesting to you and not you must overlook. In this way, instead of repressing or overwhelming the animal trying to catch it, try to observe all its behavior to find other signs and go to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
4. Excessive licking
As with other daily routines, it is common for dogs to feel the need to do themselves. In fact, they like to lick and groom themselves. What’s not normal is that they’re doing it all day, even becoming an obsessive disorder.
When a dog licks a particular area compulsively, this can only indicate that it feels pain in that specific part or that it is a stereotyping developed by stress, anxiety or boredom.
Focusing on excessive licking as a sign of pain in dogs, they usually do so in order to soothe pain, clean and heal the wound, which can be external or internal.
Therefore, if we observe this behavior we must go to a specialist to perform the relevant tests, because if we do not act in time the dog could develop acral dermatitis by licking.
5. Loss of appetite
Who wants to eat when he’s sick? This is one of the primary reactions of the body when you are experiencing any pain or illness. Likewise, this is a clear sign of pain in dogs that can not only manifest the presence of some pathology in which the loss of appetite is located, but it is also possible that the animal does have hunger but the act of walking and moving finds it tre painlessly painful.
To check, bring the food bowl closer to its snout and observe its reaction. If after the experiment the animal still does not eat, it is probably a condition or pathology that only the veterinarian can detect by means of tests.
This problem does not necessarily have to be serious, but it is necessary to request a blood test and evaluate the results.
Serious diseases detected through intime include canine anorexia, kidney or liver problems, systematic infections, dental diseases and even cancer.
6. Crying, whining or moaning
Signs of dog pain. Another sign of pain in dogs is crying or whining, which can be constant or intermittent depending on the ailment and cause of it. Thus, we may observe the restless animal, moaning or emitting small cries as it moves or, on the contrary, is still.
These cries are also likely to increase, exaggerate, or increase in volume as we approach to see what happens or touch the animal.
If any of these situations happen we can say that we are faced with clear symptoms of pain in dogs that must be taken care of immediately by a veterinarian to find the cause. In general, these signals are usually accompanied by others, such as those already mentioned.
7. Touch reaction
If touching the dog reacts with a bark, scream, cry, growl or bite, it is most likely because that area hurts. To check, it is necessary to feel other parts of your body and observe its reaction. Likewise, if for example the animal reacts by touching one of its legs, we can try to make it walk to see if it supports it normally or otherwise limps. In this sense, limping is another sign of pain in dogs much more evident than others.
In the face of a reaction like this, we will check if there are any external wounds or foreign bodies that may be causing the discomfort. If we do not find any of this, the problem is internal and we will have to visit the specialist to carry out imaging tests.
8. Tremors or seizures
Signs of dog pain, Acute pain in dogs usually manifests itself in the form of tremors or seizures, so if we observe these symptoms we should think that our hairy companion is suffering from some health problem and we have to find the cause to treat it. In addition, both involuntary reactions of the body are also emitted as a symptom of certain diseases that may be accompanied by general discomfort and other signs. The most common pathologies are canine moquillo, arthritis, epilepsy, brain tumors, hypoglycemia or possible poisoning.
9. Sleep disturbance
When a dog feels pain it is normal that he has difficulty sleeping precisely due to discomfort. Especially when the pain is very intense, we may notice the animal nervous, restless, crying, barking or trying to catch our attention.
Thus, if our dog had never before shown alterations in his sleep hours or acted in this way, we must certainly be alarmed and try to find the source of the pain. If there is a wound, we can apply a number of measures as first aid, since emergency veterinarians are not available everywhere.
Observe that the dog sleeps too much, much more than normal, is also a sign of pain in dogs that can be more or less severe.
If we have a 24-hour emergency veterinarian, we will come for an assessment of the condition of the animal. If we don’t find any, we can use natural painkillers like Valerian overnight and visit the specialist in the morning.
10. General changes in behavior
Signs of dog pain, It is very important to know our dog, its dynamics, personality, what he likes and what not. In this way we will be able to detect the signs of pain in dogs in time and act quickly.
We can observe the animal limping, listless, unwilling to play or move, quieter than usual or, on the other hand, much more barking, tense or seemingly calm. On the other hand, a body sign of pain is showing the arched torso or adopting strange postures. Often, dogs that feel bad lie on their side with their legs stretched, for example, and this might seem normal or not, depending on the posture that our furry one is used to adopt to sleep.
There are thousands of behaviors that could be signs of pain in dogs and each of them is a warning and an alert to the guardians.
