How Does Pain Influence Behaviour?

by Anne-Marie Mayes

Dogs are one of the most stoic creatures that I know.  They mainly only  show pain or discomfort when their condition has become quite serious. 

After a spay or neuter surgery dogs are able to walk and move around a few hours after surgery.  When dogs are having health issues with their kidneys or liver they show minimal signs of discomfort until their blood values are quite elevated or their condition is quite serious.

This is natural for them as even though dogs are domesticated animals, they are still animals with survival instincts. They do not want to show that they are in pain or be seen as a weak link so they mask the signs in order to survive. While modern dogs living inside of our homes may not need to rely on that survival instinct, it is still ingrained in them. There are also many free-roaming wild dogs who still need these instincts today.

Here are some questions to help you decide whether pain may be a factor for your dog. If you are able to recognize and acknowledge that your dog may be in pain, you can seek help from your veterinarian before your dog's health issues become more serious.

What are your dog's “normal” eating, drinking and bathroom habits? Do they take time when eating their meals, do they eat quickly, or graze their food? How much water do they drink at a time, do you have to fill up the bowl multiple times? How many times does your dog poop or pee in a day? How much sleep do they get per day?

If the answers to any of those questions change, the next step is to observe your dog's body language. Many people think a dog has to be severely limping or unable to move around well in order to be in pain, but by that time it is usually more advanced.

Is your dog lethargic or less interested in their usual activities? Are they wagging their tail less? Are they less active? Do they have a rigid body position, or shy away from being touched? Do they move slower when getting up and down, are they reluctant to stand or sit?

Are their eyes dull or ears low or pulled back?

The more suddenly these changes happen, the more likely they are to be related to pain or illness. Dogs do change in certain ways as they age, but in a younger dog these can all be signs that something else is going on.

If you are seeing these differences, then I recommend seeing your Veterinarian to discuss these observations. It is better to be alive and well than to put your dog through prolonged discomfort. 

Recently, my poodle Maui has been having health issues.  He started with being less active, did not want to walk as long, he was sleeping more, he would go by himself to bed to nap which was unusual, he would eat slower, and when his friends tried to play with him he would move away and make some small yelps. 

I had Maui into the Vet several times as the symptoms progressed until they were able to reach a tentative diagnosis. I am the one that lives with Maui day to day and know his personality so I was able to pick up on these small changes and describe them to his veterinarian so he could receive the appropriate tests and treatment before he was having major health issues as it breaks my heart to see my dog in pain.

Remember that pain doesn't always come from physical injuries, and doesn't have to show up as yelping or sleeping more. For example, some dogs can show more reactive behaviour when they have gastro issues or a deep ear infection, due to their discomfort.

Maui was having some painful health issues that I first noticed due to small changes in his behaviour