The face is the mirror of the soul, and if we look at our furry friend with a sad expression or that indicates discomfort, without a doubt this is the first sign of pain in dogs that we must identify. Although dogs do not 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 in order to act properly and find the reason for the annoyance felt by the animal.
Do you have a dog and want to take care of it in the best possible way? On our site we invite you to read this article about the most common signs and symptoms of pain in dogs.
1. Exaggerated gasping
Panting is a completely normal behavior in dogs, especially on very hot days or when the walk has been very active. Panting is a natural way for dogs to cool their bodies and cause their body temperature to drop.
The problem occurs when this excessive panting comes from nowhere. If you see that your dog is panting more than normal, it may be a sign that he is not feeling quite well, that he is going through an episode of stress or fear due to some painYou could be suffering from heat stroke, poisoning, or have a breathing problem.
two. Accelerated breathing
In relation to excessive panting, rapid breathing is another of the signs of pain in dogs, since the discomfort they feel produces a feeling of lack of control over their body, preventing them from continuing with their usual routine and generates anxiety, stress and nerves In the same way that we humans also see our breathing speed up when the pain we feel is very intense, precisely, for not noticing an improvement or not supporting it, the animals experience these same sensations.
On the other hand, rapid breathing can be an indicator of a problem related to the respiratory tract, so we will have to pay attention to whether it is due to difficulty breathing. time to breathe or for the above reasons to bring as much information as possible to the vet.
3. Isolation and aggressiveness
Dogs are much more like humans than we think. Some people, when they don't feel well, prefer to isolate themselves or tend to express their pain through aggression. The same thing happens to dogs and, therefore, it is normal for someone in pain to prefer to stay alone or adopt an aggressive attitude.
If you notice that your dog starts to adopt an antisocial dynamic, stop greeting you when you get home, avoid any type of physical contact or becomes aggressive when you try to get closer, these are probably symptoms of pain that your dog is showing you and you should not ignore. In this way, instead of reacting with reprimands or overwhelming the animal trying to catch it, try to observe all its behavior to find other signs and go to the vet as soon as possible.
4. Excessive licking
As with other daily routines, it is common for dogs to feel the need to clean themselves. In fact, they really like to lick and groom themselves. What is not normal is that they are doing it all day, even becoming an obsessive disorder. When a dog licks a certain areacompulsively, this can only indicate that he feels pain in that specific part or that it is a stereotypy developed by the stress, anxiety or boredom. All the related information is detailed in the article on "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Dogs".
Focusing on excessive licking as a sign of pain in dogs, they usually do it with the purpose of calming the pain, cleaning and healing the wound, which can be external or internal. For this reason, if we observe this behavior we should go to a specialist to carry out the pertinent tests, since if we do not act in time the dog could develop acral dermatitis due to licking.
5. Loss of appetite
Who wants to eat when they're sick? This is one of the primary reactions of the body when it is experiencing pain or illness. Likewise, this is a clear sign of pain in dogs that can not only manifest the presence of some pathology whose symptoms include loss of appetite, but also It is also possible that the animal is hungry, but the act of walking and moving is tremendously painful To check this, bring the food bowl close 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 through tests. This problem does not necessarily have to be serious, but it is necessary to request a blood test and evaluate the results.
Some of the serious diseases that are detected through loss of appetite are: canine anorexia, kidney or liver problems, systematic infections, dental diseases and even cancer.
6. Crying, whimpering, or moaning
Another sign of pain in dogs is the crying or whining, which can be constant or intermittentdepending on the ailment and its cause. Thus, it is possible that we observe the restless animal, moaning or emitting small cries while it moves or, on the contrary, it is still. It is also likely that these cries increase, exaggerate or rise in volume when we approach to check what is happening or touch the animal. If any of these situations occurs, we can say that we are facing clear symptoms of pain in dogs that should be seen immediately by a veterinarian to find the cause. In general, these signs are usually accompanied by others, such as those already mentioned.
7. Touch Reaction
If the dog reacts to a bark, yelp, cry, growl or bite when touched, it is most likely due to that area hurts. To verify this, it is necessary to feel other parts of his body and observe his reaction. Likewise, if, for example, the animal reacts when one of its legs is touched, we can try to make it walk to check if it supports it normally or, if not, it limps. In this sense, lameness is another sign of pain in dogs that is much more evident than others.
In the event of a reaction like this, we will check if there is any external wound or foreign body 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
El sharp pain in dogs usually manifests itself in the form of tremors or convulsions, so if we observe these symptoms we must think that our furry colleague is suffering from some he alth problem and we have to find the cause to treat it. In addition, both involuntary reactions of the body are also emitted as symptom of certain diseases that may be accompanied by general malaise and other signs. The most common pathologies are canine distemper, arthritis, epilepsy, brain tumors, hypoglycemia or possible intoxication.
For more information, see our article on "Seizures in Dogs" and "Why Do Dogs Shake?".
9. Sleep disturbance
When a dog is in pain it is normal for it to have difficulty sleeping precisely due to discomfort. Especially when the pain is very intense, we can notice the animal nervous, restless, crying, barking or trying to get our attention. Thus, if our dog had never before shown alterations in his sleeping hours or had acted in this way, we should certainly be alarmed and try to find the origin of the pain. If there is an injury, we can apply a series of measures as first aid, since not everywhere there are emergency veterinarians available. To do this, we recommend consulting the article on "First aid in dogs".
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 vet, we will go to assess the animal's condition. If we do not find any, we can use natural pain relievers such as valerian during the night and visit the specialist in the morning.
10. General changes in your behavior
It is very important to know our dog, his dynamics, personality, what he likes and what he doesn't. In this way we will be able to detect signs of pain in dogs in time and act quickly.
We can observe the animal limping, apathetic, not wanting to play or move, quieter than usual or, on the other hand, much more barking, tense or apparently calm. On the other hand, a bodily sign of pain is showing an arched torso or adopting strange postures. Frequently, dogs that feel bad lie down on their side with their legs stretched out, for example, and this may or may not seem normal to us, depending on the posture that our furry one usually adopts to sleep.
There are thousands of behaviors that could be signs of pain in dogs and each one of them is a warning and an alert for guardians.
