16/09/2024
Thank you Dynamic Dog for this brilliant post!
Pain is determined by the animal, not by us.
This is becoming a welfare issue!
Im tired of hearing “the vet says there is no pain” by a guardian after they have taken their dog to the vet. It leaves me deflated and frustrated and feeling so sorry for the dog.
Myth Bust:
PAIN CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN ANY ANIMAL (dog, cat, horse or hamster), by anyone!
* A quick palpation - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN
WHY?
The dog may shut down due to environmental factors or dislike of a strange human touching them, they keep still to get it over with ASAP!
The dog may be over aroused or overwhelmed by the clinical environment (excited/scared etc) to the point that adrenaline is so high it blocks pain!
* Blood Tests - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN
There is currently NO blood test that can detect pain.
* Diagnostic imaging - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN
Yes they can pick up a variety of conditions, but even the GOLD standard MRI doesn’t pick up everything, but NONE of them can detect PAIN.
Just because a source cannot be found doesn’t mean there is no pain.
PAIN is subjective, it is whatever that being (human or animal) perceives it to be!
Pain can come in many different forms, it is extremely complex, and can effect the individual in many different ways. A dog may get injured, the injury may have healed, but the pain remains … this is known as maladaptive pain.
Behaviour can be a HUGE indicator for PAIN:
* There could be a change of behaviour that has been directly caused by PAIN.
* There could be a worsening of behaviour due to an increase or new presence of PAIN.
* There could be a lack of “normal” behaviour due to PAIN.
* There could be behaviours that are present but that the guardian/owner don’t deem to be problematic that are indicators of PAIN.
* The dog may have ALWAYS displayed behaviours that are indicators of PAIN, but they have been ignored and put down to “just the way they are”.
* There may be NO problematic behaviours at all …. And the dog might still be in PAIN!
* The dog might be energetic, always on the go … and still be in PAIN.
* The dog might be lazy … and still be in PAIN.
* The dog may zoom up and down stairs … and still be in PAIN.
Diagnosing PAIN is not simple and can be difficult to get on top of.
A PAIN relief trail can be great! But often only one type of analgesic is tried and sometimes this doesn’t get results leading to the ASSUMPTION that there is no PAIN!
Here’s why:
* The drug was only trialed for 2 weeks - when living with chronic pain it can take longer to relieve. 2 weeks is not enough.
* The drug used wasn’t targeted to the type of pain the animal is feeling; soft tissue, bone, nerve or a combination of all.
It might take a number of different medications or a combination OVER TIME to see a difference.
ALWAYS keep in mind, NO ONE can rule out another being’s PAIN.
NO ONE. Not me. Not you. Not a Doctor. Not a Vet.
