* SIGNS OF PAIN
Last week a 12 year old Kelpie named Princess came to see us with a sudden change in her behaviour. Overnight she had changed from being a happy, social, active dog to a dog who could hardly move, hung her head low, was very hunched and wasn’t interested in interacting with us. Her owner recognised the significant changes to her normal behaviour, identified them as indicators of pain, and brought her in to be checked.

The ability to identify what can be subtle behavioural changes that may indicate pain or illness is one of the real benefits of a close pet-owner bond. When an owner has a good understanding of their pet’s normal behaviour, they are more likely to notice these changes earlier. Of course the sooner that pain is identified, the sooner it can be alleviated. And that’s what we all want for our pets.

There are obvious challenges to our ability to detect pain in animals, particularly mild pain. There are questions that we would love to ask… Where does it hurt? Does it hurt when I touch it? Can you rate the pain on a scale of 1-10? Although we don’t get the answers to these questions given to us easily, there are many indicators that we as vets rely on to tell us about an animal’s pain. The owner’s observations about changes in behaviour, appetite or any recent trauma are extremely helpful. Gentle examination and sometimes further testing such as radiographs usually fill in the gaps.

The hallmark of pain is a change in the normal behaviour of an animal. This may involve the animal vocalising by howling, growling, hissing or squealing, which helps to make the presence of pain easily identifiable. However often the behaviour changes are more subtle. There may be a change in the posture of the animal, who may appear hunched or stiff, or there may be a limp. Cats in particular are often reluctant to move at all when they are in pain. Often a change in personality may be noted, with the dog or cat behaving in a withdrawn, aggressive or depressed manner. Any of these changes warrant a trip to the vet for a thorough examination to try to identify the source of pain, and to treat it.

In the case of Princess, her behaviour was quite typical for a dog with spinal pain, and on gentle palpation of her spine she cried. Because her owner quickly identified the behavioural signs of pain, Princess was treated very quickly and the slipped disc in her spine did not progress. She has now recovered from her sore back and at her recheck was happy, social and very keen to eat treats!