Dogs are very good at hiding pain, especially when suffering from chronically painful conditions.
In the first part of this blog we will list some of the physical signs to look for which could indicate that your dog is painful. Part two of the blog will highlight some of the behavioural signs to watch for that could be related to pain and should not be ignored.

Physical signs:

#1 – Feeling stiff or slower to rise.

This could be throughout the day or after exercise. Does your dog take a little time to get out of bed? Perhaps they shuffle to get up or are slow to rise into a standing position after a long period of lying down. This is a huge indicator of pain that is often overlooked.

2 – Lagging behind on walks or limping after exercise.

Often as physiotherapist’s we hear ‘they’re just getting older now’ or ‘they’re at that age’ as a reason for dog’s who may not be walking as far or are slower on walks or are limping after exercise. Age does not reflect how far/slow a dog can walk. As we mentioned in our previous puppy post (link?), walks do not have to be long to be mentally stimulating and physically tiring and we can keep this mentality with our older dogs too.

If your dog is lagging behind / slower on a walk or is limping after exercise, this is usually a sign of pain and not age. It is important to remember this so that we can make sure our pets remain pain free throughout their long years with us!

3 – Difficulty jumping up or with stairs.

This is another pain sign that gets mistaken for a function that is lost with age in dogs. If you notice that your dog is more reluctant to jump and climbs stairs or jumps and doesn’t quite make it to the end goal, it could be a sign of pain. Like us, dogs will be less likely to carry out an activity if it causes them pain, which is why they will be more reluctant to carry out these daily activities so it is important to keep on top of their pain to allow them to live as close to their normal daily routine as possible.

If you have any questions or think your dog may be experiencing some of these signs, then please do not hesitate to reach out to us!

Make sure to check back for part two of this blog to find out more information about behavioural signs that could be linked to pain.