Dogs and cats have a much higher pain threshold than ours. Some pets show clear signs at the first symptoms of pain, while others try to hide, mask, or silence any sign of pain as a survival instinct.
Let’s learn to “listen” to our pet. The following are some characteristics we could notice:
- Excessive vocalization, crying and moaning.
- Change in look, sad expression.
- Changes in posture and movement: lowering the tail, remaining crouched, drooping ears, hunched back, limping, and more.
- General behavioral changes: apathy, lethargy, isolation, aggressiveness, constant state of tension and irritability.
- Excessive licking in specific areas, which over time could lead to ulcers and infections.
- Loss of appetite (may also indicate fever).
- Excessive panting and rapid breathing (may also indicate fear).
- Reaction to touch in specific area barking, screaming, moaning, grunting, or biting.
- Sleep disturbances: difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much.
- Low exercise tolerance.
- Changes in urine and stool elimination: diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, and incontinence.
- Tremors or seizures that sometimes indicate sharp pain.
Please DO NOT self-medicate your pet with human use products, some of these medications could be toxic and worsen the situation, it is advisable to go to your trusted veterinarian for a thorough check-up and determine the cause, place and intensity of pain, and thus create an adequate therapeutic plan. Treatment will always depend on the age, weight, race and the particular history of each patient.
In addition to medication, there are other alternative therapies such as the use of compresses, acupuncture, physiotherapy and proper nutritional management, which will help improve the quality of life of our pet, especially in cases of senile patients or chronic problems.
May the pain of our beloved pets never go unnoticed!
by Dra Sharine Alice
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