THE 25 SIGNS THAT ARE ‘SUFFICIENT’ INDICATORS OF PAIN IN DOGS
This list is an assessment tool which covers the sensorial and emotional aspects of pain.
Being able to identify a set of behaviors can help to reliably detect pain. For each of these signs, they are frequently present in both low and high levels of pain.
| PUT AN “X” IN THE BOXES THAT APPLY TO YOUR DOG |
|---|
| X | |||
| 1. | Lameness, abnormal gait | ||
| 2. | Difficulty in jumping or moving in a certain way or direction, unable to do stairs | ||
| 3. | Legs splayed out rather than under body | ||
| 4. | Reluctant to move, avoid situations that could elicit pain | ||
| 5. | Reaction to palpation, dislike or intolerance of handling | ||
| 6. | Withdrawn, hiding | ||
| 7. | Sleeping more | ||
| 8. | Playing less. Less interested in going for a walk | ||
| 9. | Licking inanimate objects (can often be a sign of intestinal pain) | ||
| 10. | Overall activity less than normal, moves slower | ||
| 11. | Change in mood, grumpy | ||
| 12. | Restlessness; pacing, getting up and down and adjusting position or place | ||
| 13. | Wobbly | ||
| 14. | Hunched back or sway back | ||
| 15. | Shifting weight off area of body | ||
| 16. | Licking excessively or rubbing a certain area of the body | ||
| 17. | Lower or tilted head, ears in unusual position | ||
| 18. | Temperamental, Yelp or growl when being petted or other animal comes near space | ||
| 19. | Change in form of feeding behavior, type of food preferred, avoiding or decreased appetite | ||
| 20. | Weeping, red, cloudy or squinting eyes | ||
| 21. | Looks depressed | ||
| 22. | Groaning, moaning, grunting | ||
| 23. | Heavy panting, increased heart rate when doing nothing (and it’s not hot!) | ||
| 24. | Hanging or tucked tail | ||
| 25. | Change in toileting habits e.g. not lifting leg, not squatting low, defecating in house drops out |
| © IVE, Inc. 2016 |
