Since Madeline’s cancer diagnosis last week, my goal is to give her a pain free life for whatever time she has left. Since we were able to stop her spleen bleed, the only one of these I see is some social isolation. She is sleeping in the bathroom more. It could be because she is in pain, needs more rest or simply that it’s cooler in there.
This information was part of an article showed up in my email today.
Dogs don’t use language to communicate, and most don’t even use their voices much in general. So, unlike in humans, listening for sounds might not be your best strategy to know if your dogs in pain.
Here are the other signs that might signal your dog is in pain:
Limping ALWAYS means your dog is in pain
Doesn’t want to be touched
Resistance to using a certain area of the body.
Bunny-hopping (it looks cute, but it’s not normal)
Vocalizing (whimpering, whining, yelping) for “no reason,” particularly when lying still or standing still
Unusual Panting
Unusual Trembling
Resistance to climbing stairs or getting up on furniture
Guarding: hunching over as in a stomach ache
Straining to urinate or defecate
Listless or apathetic behavior
Lack of appetite
Lack of engagement (isolating, withdrawn, refusing to play or walk)
Aggression
If you see any of these signs, it could mean your dog is experiencing some measure of pain, and you should get it figured out so you can address it.
