Overlooked Signs of Pain in Dogs

Sometimes it is easy to see when our canine companions are in pain--we might notice limping, panting, lethargy, or an obvious wound.

However, pain can also be sneakier. Dogs are fantastic at hiding their pain, so it might be weeks, months, or even years before we finally realise they've been suffering with chronic pain.

September is Pain Awareness Month so today we'll have a look at three overlooked symptoms of pain in dogs. Hopefully, this will help you identify whether your pup is experiencing pain, and aid you in finding an effective treatment.

1. Disliking Physical Contact or Proximity

When in pain, even the most snuggly dogs may not want to cuddle as much as normal. They may avoid you, flinch when you try to pat them, or startle if you sit on the lounge with them. In more extreme cases, they might growl, snap, or bite (1, 2).

Behaviour like this can easily be mistaken for resource guarding, which may lead to dogs getting treatment for a behaviour issue they aren't actually experiencing, while their health issue goes undetected.

When interacting with your dog, keep an eye out for stress or appeasement signals, such as lip-licking, whale eyes (the whites of the eyes showing), whining, panting, or "kiss to dismiss" (licking or "kissing" the owner as an appeasement signal) (3).

2. Behaviour Changes

Pain can make us cranky, short-tempered, or anxious, and our dogs are no different. Chronic pain, such as joint or muscularskeletal pain can cause issues as varied as increased aggression, anxiety, or noise sensitivity (6,7,8). Pain can also make sleep difficult, and adult dogs need 12-14 hours of sleep every day. If pain is disrupting sleep, this can also impact on a dog's behaviour. On the other hand, dogs in pain may sleep more. Keep an eye on any dog who is showing unusual sleeping patterns (1).

In cases where someone tells me they've noticed an abrupt or uncharacteristic change in behaviour the first thing I always suggest is a thorough vet check to look for potential causes of pain.

My own dog Tora is a great example of this. One morning, she refused to leave her crate, and had to be carried outside. She was extremely noise-sensitive and jumped at everything, as well as uncharacteristically aggressive. This continued until I was able to get her a vet appointment and we discovered that at some point recently she'd injured her back. Once the vet prescribed her some painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications, she was back to her normal self in a day or two.

Most examples may not be this dramatic, but if you notice odd behaviour changes (or escalations of known behaviour), a vet check should be your first priority.

3. Excessive Or Obsessive Interest in a Certain Body Part

Most dogs enjoy chasing their tail every now and then, or having a good chew on an itchy paw, but excessive interest in a certain body part could indicate pain (2,5). Dogs also keep themselves clean through regular licking and grooming, but excessive licking is often a symptom of allergies, or of Canine Compulsion Disorder.

Not long after I adopted my dog, Hugo, he started chewing excessively on his tail. A vet visit, vet wrap and painkillers didnt do anything, and in fact only excerabated his obsessive chewing. A few days later, I took him back to the vet and they conducted a needle test. We discovered that Hugo had no feeling in about two-thirds of his tail. It was amputated later that day as there was no way to save it.

A few things to keep an eye out for include excessive paw licking (potentially environmental or food allergies), scratching at ears or shaking head (potentially an ear infection), or biting or licking at certain areas (potentially a soft tissue injury).

But Why Does This Matter?

Unfortunately, pain is underdiagnosed in dogs, and as a result constitutes a major quality of life issue (4, 6, 8). One of the five freedoms that all living beings are entitled to is freedom from pain and discomfort (9). Pain has also been identified as a major contributor to behaviour issues in up to 80% of cases (8).

As dog guardians, we have a duty to make sure our dogs live their lives as free of pain as possible. So, this September, keep an eye out for signs of pain in your dogs, and if you see something concerning, speak to your vet about it and sort out a treatment plan.

Citations

(1) McKee, Malcom. Diagnosis and management of chronic joint pain in the dog. In Practice (London 1979), 35(5), 227–242. https://doi.org/10.1136/inp.f2862

(2) Signs A Dog Is In Pain (how to tell if your dog is in pain), Animal Emergency Services, (accessed 17/09/2023) https://animalemergencyservice.com.au/blog/signs-a-dog-is-in-pain/

(3) Mood, Abbie. How. To Tell If Your Dog Is Stressed. American Kennel Club. Accessed 17/09/2023 https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/advice/how-to-tell-if-your-dog-is-stressed/

(4) Boatright, Kate. “Speaking for Our Canine Patients: How to Find and Communicate Signs of Chronic Pain.” DVM360 52, no. 3 (2021): 50–51.

(5) Senestraro, Aja. How To Tell If a Dog Is in Pain and What You Can Do To Help. PetMD, accessed 17/09/2023. https://www.petmd.com/dog/care/evr_dg_managing_pain_in_dogs

(6) Essner, Ann, Hans Högberg, Lena Zetterberg, Karin Hellström, Rita Sjöström, and Pia Gustås. “Investigating the Probability of Response Bias in Owner-Perceived Pain Assessment in Dogs With Osteoarthritis.” Topics in Companion Animal Medicine 39 (2020): 100407–100407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcam.2020.100407.

(7) Rowland, T., T.W. Pike, S. Reaney-Wood, D.S. Mills, and O.H.P. Burman. “Using Network Analysis to Detect Associations Between Suspected Painful Health Conditions and Behaviour in Dogs.” The Veterinary Journal (1997) 293 (2023): 105954–105954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2023.105954.

(8) Mills, Daniel S., Isabelle Demontigny-Bedard, Margaret Gruen, Mary P. Klinck, Kevin J. McPeake, Ana Maria Barcelos, Lynn Hewison, et al. “Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs.” Animals (Basel) 10, no. 2 (2020): 318–. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020318.

(9) What Are The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare? RSPCA Knowledge Base. Accessed 17/09/2023 https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-are-the-five-freedoms-of-animal-welfare/