Pain in Pets

 No one wants to feel pain. It is estimated that 100 million Americans suffer from some form of chronic pain. I am not a fan of pain. In fact, I’m pretty wimpy about it. If I’m in pain, you’ll know it. But our pets are a different story. While some animals will vocalize and cry out when in pain, most are programmed to not show signs of pain. They instinctually hide pain. To show pain in the wild means that you will be an easy target for someone’s next meal. So how can you tell if your dog or cat is in pain?
1.  How’s Fluffy’s appetite? While some animals will continue to eat well despite severe pain, others will slow down or stop eating entirely. Mouth pain can cause them to drop food while they are eating, or stop eating hard food or chew treats.
2.  He is limping. I am often told that a pet is limping but does not seem painful. Limping indicates pain in the affected leg, back, or neck. Animals with a hunched posture or holding their heads stiffly may have neck or back pain.
3.  Is Buddy panting or restless? Panting can be a sign of anxiety or pain. Animals that pace and can’t seem to settle down, especially at night, may be exhibiting signs of pain.
4.  Chewing at a particular part of the body. Some cats and dogs with joint pain will lick or chew on a painful area. This can be confused with allergy because many itchy, allergy animals will chew on their paws.
5.  Abnormal behaviors. Max normally jumps up and down off the bed (or the stairs, or the car) and now he won’t. Is it because it is painful? Benji paws at his mouth or rubs his face on the floor. Does he have mouth pain? Rascal is squinting. She might have eye pain. Princess loves to have her ears rubbed but she just bit you when you touched her head. Some signs of pain are more obvious than others.
The bottom line is that pain can be hard to detect in our furry friends. You know them better than anyone, so if they are showing behavior that is concerning to you, bring them to your veterinarian for a physical exam. We will inspect every part of your pet and tell you if we find anything to worry about. Don’t let them suffer in silence.
Stevenson Ranch Veterinary Center is located at 25832 Hemingway Avenue, Santa Clarita.  For more information, please call 661-799-0655 and visit online www.srvc.com.