Gaining Awareness of Signs of Pain in Pets
Beautiful “Buffy”, completely immobile but still raising her head and wagging her tail upon being greeted.
Sadly, sometimes families to wait to contact their veterinarian for help until their pet is near or completely immobile. As a veterinarian, I’ve had many experiences where a family pet could no longer get up, sometimes for several days. Why do families wait so long to contact their veterinarian for help?
Oftentimes, families describe that they didn't think their pet was in pain, even though the discomfort their pet was experiencing was obvious to a trained eye.
Its common for pet parents to say “They are still alert”, “They still wag their tail when they see me”, “He / she hasn’t been yelping or whining in pain” or “They still eating, so I didn’t think my pet was in pain”
How could family that spend the most time with their pet miss obvious signs? Everyday interactions with pets parents show how difficult it can be to miss obvious signs of pain. Although most of us spend more time with our pets than even our closest friends or family, the truth is that it can be difficult to recognize pain. Our pets often find joy in being with us, despite the pain they may be enduring, and keep trying to be their normal self. Furthermore, sometimes veterinary staff just thoroughly communicate signs of pain, which can be subtle, or pet parents simply don’t want to admit their pet is in pain- as this may be difficult to come to terms with. Furthermore, our pets may naturally HIDE or disguise signs of pain.
“Buffy” was a 13 year old yellow lab, she was immobile for 3 days when her family contacted us for help. When I saw her, Buffy wagged her tail and looked up at me, but she was not able to get up and was in struggling. She was panting despite not being able to get up With towels around her, the strong smell of urine made it difficult to breathe. When I felt her skinny rear legs (skinny because he had bad arthritis for a long time and the muscles had atrophied from disuse), she winced and there were red areas on her skin, the start of sores. This immediately brought tears to my eyes as this sweet dog was definitely in pain- and had been for a long time. Situations like this happen can happen with cats and small dogs too. With their size, it is often times easier to keep them clean and move them around, however the pain they may be experiencing can be just as painful as what Buffy was experiencing.
Face Expressions can be helpful in assessing pain in pets
It is so important to become more AWARE of signs of pain. This is a helpful acronym to help decode subtle signs that may indicate pain:
A: Any behavior change or daily pattern. Changes in appetite, anxiety, aggression, sleeping patterns, responses to other pets/ people, are all things to take notice of and not ignore.
W: Weight shifting, Signs of limping or lameness. These are all signs of pain, even though you may not hear wincing or yelping- if your pet were not in pain, they would not be limping or weight shifting
A: Activity level changes, including reluctance to move, or sleeping more (especially seen in cats).
R: Restlessness. Difficulty sleeping, difficulty getting in a comfortable position, etc.
E: Expression & Appearance. Watch for signs like panting, trembling, shaking, facial expressions (dilated or constricted pupils), excessive licking, or vocalization.
Start a journal or make notes on a calendar of any behavioral changes you are noticing in your pet. Contact an experienced palliative care veterinarians, they will help you and your pet make the most of each day. Be proactive in helping your pet, this will not only give you increased peace of mind but will also help your pet live a more comfortable, happy life, which is a PAWS-itively wonderful thing!