Are You Missing These Signs That Your Pet Is In Pain?
It can be very easy to miss the signs that your pet is in pain or sick. Dogs and cats have a tendency to hide their pain, making it difficult to properly care for them when they need it the most. But if you know the signs to look for, you can recognize symptoms of pain early and get your pet the help they need.
Why Do Pets Hide Pain?
The tendency for dogs and cats to disguise their discomfort is believed to be an evolutionary trait that carried over from their wild ancestors. Wild animals who show weakness are more likely to be targeted by predators as well as more likely to be abandoned by their pack. Although today's domestic pets who are well cared for by their humans do not have these worries, their instincts to hide their pain are still ingrained.
Why Is It Important To Recognize Pain?
Recognizing pain in your pet early will enable you to seek veterinary help before many diseases become difficult to treat. Whether the pain is due to an injury, arthritis, infection, or a systemic illness, diagnosing the problem as early as possible gives your pet the best chance for a better outcome.
What Are Signs of Pain in Dogs and Cats?
Dogs and cats will often have subtle behavioral changes that indicate pain.
It is important to have your pet examined by a veterinarian to determine what is causing pain. Determining the underlying cause is important so that the primary problem can be addressed. Depending on the illness, there are many veterinary approved pain medications to control discomfort in pets. It is important to work with a veterinarian to create a specific pain management strategy that is customized to your pet's specific needs. There are medications and supplements designed to minimize arthritis pain, which is very common in geriatric pets.
Never self medicate your pet without speaking with a veterinarian! Human over-the-counter pain medications can be very deadly to pets! Animals and people metabolize medications differently and so many medications that are safe for people can be extremely toxic to pets. Ibuprofen, Tylenol, and other human medications cause severe liver and kidney damage, gastrointestinal ulcerations, and death to dogs and cats.
Never change your pet's medication dose without speaking with a veterinarian.