I recently had a great talk with Emily Priestley, the author of Urban Sheepdogs. I reviewed her book a few weeks ago, and although I noted some issues, I am a big fan of her attempt to help people understand that the behavior of their border collies or cattle dogs is not a mystery or a sign of dysfunction–rather a manifestation of what the dogs were bred for. These dogs need to be helped to adjust to an urban/suburban environment, not punished for it.
I started out by asking her what she recommends to people who have dogs who are especially sound sensitive, as so many herding breeds tend to be. She answered by saying that she often asks that the dog be checked out by a veterinarian. That led to a discussion about how often pain or illness can exacerbate or create behavior problems, and how important it is to rule it out as a factor in problem behavior.
In our conversation, Emily and I recounted stories of dogs who had behavioral problems that turned out to be driven by pain or illness. She, for example, worked with a dog who developed a noise phobia, and none of the standard protocols were working. It turns out the dog was in a lot of pain from arthritis, which made the dog more reactive to stressors. Many of us can relate: If you’ve had a period of serious, chronic pain, you know it makes you more reactive to things you could’ve shrugged off before.
I had a client whose normally sweet middle-aged dog became so aggressive that the clients were thinking of putting him down. I noticed that he held his head in an atypical posture in my office–it turns out his neck was causing him a lot of pain. A trip to a certified canine chiropractor brought back the cuddly dog that they had always had.
These concerns were highlighted in a study in 2020, which found that veterinarians involved in the study reported 28 to 82% of problem behaviors being influenced by or caused by pain. The authors argue that “there is currently an under-reporting of the ways in which pain can be associated with problem behavior, which is seriously limiting the recognition of this welfare problem.”
I was especially interested in their conclusion that “. . . in general, it is better for veterinarians to treat suspected pain first rather than consider its significance only when the animal does not respond to behavior therapy.”
Getting a prescription for theoretical pain isn’t necessarily something that some medical professionals would consider, and I send kudos to the authors of this paper to suggest it be considered more often. Keep the study in mind if you find yourself needing to advocate for your dog at some point in a clinic setting. This issue brought up some other speed bumps relating to vet appointments before a behavior modification plan is considered.
The first is obvious: Clinics can be far away, and it can cost a lot of money to have your dog carefully checked for illness or pain-inducing conditions. As I thought about my work before I retired from seeing cases, I realized I didn’t always insist that clients got a full health check before I worked with them, although I usually recommended it. If a confident three-year old dog became shy out of the blue, or aggressive to strangers when previously friendly, I’d encourage them to see the vet right away. If an eight-month old, healthy-looking border collie was chasing cars, I probably wouldn’t have IF the clients were clearly stretching both their patience and their budgets. I think what’s most important here is that trainers, behaviorists, veterinarians, and owners are all educated to understand that medical problems are often undiagnosed, and can have a significant effect on behavior.
Convincing others of that isn’t always easy. I had client after client dismiss the possibility of pain as a factor in a dog’s (mis)behavior. “Oh, no!” They’d say, “Look at her, she’s fine!” I’d then ask them how they knew, by first asking them if they thought I was in pain. They’d rarely answer, just stop and look at me, unsure what to say, until I explained that I had a back injury and was actually in a great deal of pain at that very moment. I wasn’t looking for sympathy, just an understanding that the outside of a person/dog doesn’t always tell you what is going on in the inside.
For people skeptical that pain can influence behavior, (you’d be surprised how many), Emily told me she often asks clients if they can imagine having a migraine at work. Would that change how they responded to colleagues, deadlines, difficult phone calls? Of course it would, and it’s a great example that people can relate to–anthropomorphism to the rescue! And it’s not necessarily pain. What if the dog has a hormone imbalance, or feels nauseous all the time? Think of all the physical things that can influence how you feel and behave, and ask yourself why they wouldn’t also be influencing your dog.
Another speed bump relates to the veterinarian him or her self, or, perhaps I should say, the dog’s behavior in the clinic. Remember that middle-aged dog I mentioned who suddenly became aggressive? He HAD been to his vet, and the vet judged him free of any physical problems. This well might have been due to the downside of dopamine, a hormone that that can pair with adrenalin to create feelings of pleasure in social situations and mask pain. No one saw this better than me and my sisters, when we took our elderly mother to the doctor after she complained of being in terrible pain. Before I drove her to the clinic she was slumped, grumpy and miserable. When the doctor entered she lit up like a Christmas tree, smiling and laughing as if she didn’t have a care in the world. This happened so frequently it’s a miracle I have any brain left at all, given how often many times I wanted to smash my head against the wall.
In my experience, some veterinarians are far more receptive to owner reports than others; yet another reason to have a vet who trusts you and listens carefully to what you have to say. One way to try to counter the change in a dog’s behavior from home to clinic is to record the behavior on your phone–perhaps a limp or a head tilt–at home, and then show your vet what is causing you concern. I know lots of vets who would greatly appreciate it. I’ve also found that certified canine chiropractors or physical therapists are trained to look for extremely subtle changes in movement and structure, and have been an essential part of keeping my own dogs healthy. Also, know the common signs of pain in your dog; if Maggie and Skip start licking a leg or joint, I start watching them like a hawk.
What about you? I’m hoping you’ll join in the discussion–what’s your experience been related to physical issues and behavioral problems or changes? Don’t be shy, people tell me they learn so much from the comments, so if you have a minute, join the conversation.
I’ll end this part by mentioning that Emily and I talked about several other issues related to herding breeds–why they are so sound sensitive and movement reactive, and the dangers of misunderstanding “need a job” advice. Stay tuned for more!
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Skip is not even close to a perfect sheepdog, but there are few that excel him when working in close. Here I am asking him to put the sheep into a pen inside the barn, where they clearly would rather not go. He is so quiet and calm about it, I just adore him for it. FYI, the sheep were being moved into the pen because one ewe is doing poorly, and I don’t want her worked when I’m practicing with the dogs, and I want the vet to come get a look at her.
A few notes: I don’t care if he lies down when I say “Stand,” he’s experienced enough to make his own decision about what is best. He just needs to stop moving forward, how he does that is his call. At 18 seconds I said “come, come,” his cue to go clockwise just a few steps. I whispered “away” at xx to ask him to go a few steps counterclockwise, and had to repeat a cue at xx to get him to flank left again.
Sadly, the ewe didn’t make it. Our dedicated vet, Jeff Kunert from Mount Horeb Animal Hospital came out Saturday to put her down. I took a photo of her once she had passed away, but am choosing not to post it because I thought it might be too upsetting for some. (Although, I have to say she looked so sweet and comfortable, thanks to Jeff’s quiet and compassionate care.) Instead, I’m sending another reminder of how life in the country is a study in life and death on a regular basis. Here’s what I found yesterday behind the house . . .
. . . the remains of a female cardinal, eaten, no doubt, by the Sharp-shinned Hawk who hangs around, like a lion at a water hole, looking for it’s own dinner. As has been said: Well, we do put out bird feeders.
On a more cheerful note, the photo below is some of my California family. I was out last week to visit and support my sister during the last (hopefully!) of some surgeries and medical procedures. Left to right, that’s my brother-in-law Tim (I finally got a brother!), yours truly, my sister Liza, my niece Emily and her husband Darren. What a special, special trip; they are all so dear to me.
It was in the toasty 50’s in Wisconsin when I was in So Cal, but the inevitable happened, the temperature plummeted to the low teens, and the poor daffodils on the farm have paid the price. These are some of the happiest of the bunch, dozens and dozens of others are just frozen buds that might never bloom. But daffs are hardy things, and the late arriving ones are most probably going to be okay, depending on the roller coaster ride of our weird winter.
Bad weather is surely nothing that some chocolate chip scones won’t cure. (I should mention I’m thrilled with the snow itself, we are close to drought conditions here.) Thanks again to King Arthur Baking for their scone mixes. What would I do without them? (My favorites are Lemon Blueberry and Orange Cranberry, just in case you’re about to order. Just leave some for me.)
What’s your favorite of, well, anything these last few weeks?! You name it, we’ll smile about it. And please add your experiences to the discussion about problem behavior and physical/medical issues. You never know who you are going to help out there!
Donna says
As someone who works as a behavior specialist with adults with intellectual disabilities, many of whom do not use spoken words to communicate, our support teams ALWAYS rule out potential medical concerns/issues before we seek to address any behavioral displays. As any of us who have suffered through our own dental/joint/nerve/you name it pain can know, at times it can make getting through day to day tasks down right impossible. Having a vet who listens/is willing to consider pain is crucial, I can’t imagine if I had a doctor of something that wouldn’t be willing to listen to my concerns or reports of my own discomfort. I also realize that not every vet is as willing to explore this. I will just say (preaching to the choir if you’re reading Tricia’s blog!) that our beloved pets count on us to advocate & speak for them, as they aren’t able to do so directly, and they certainly can’t dial the phone, tap the computer keys or drive themselves to the appointments 🙂
Trisha says
Well said, Donna, thank you. And, as one of many who have had doctors who weren’t willing to listen, your words are especially welcome.
Liz says
I learned this lesson with my current dog, a bold standard poodle who is approaching her 14th birthday. Back when she was a youngster of 8 or 9, she went through a period where she was unusually fearful. For example, we were on a morning pee walk when she stepped on a twig and it snapped, sending her into a fit of shaking – a strong reaction for a dog who is used to running through the woods off leash for miles every day. It took some sleuthing, but once I started treating her for arthritis, her confidence returned.
Thank you, as always, for the photos. While I don’t miss Wisconsin winters, they are a reminder that there is beauty in those few hours of sunlight and the crisp white snow. Wishing you well in your recovery.
Dorothy Hall says
My girl Twig is 6 now, but when I got her at 9 months she was pretty scary and the vets wanted to Euthanize immediately. When I suggested pain to the only vet in the clinic who would work with us, she dismissed me immediately saying pain doesnt cause “this kind of aggression”.Twig has come a long way since then and I have since found a new, wonderful, vet with behaviour knowledge who works WITH me and Twig. We have been trying various meds to give Twig some calmm without success, but Freework sessions and some of Twigs behaviours have hinted at some sort of hip pain. We had a horrible time putting her under for xrays ( and teeth cleaning etc). Twig was still lunging and snarling at vet techs like a drunk until she was completely under and it was clearly extremely traumatic for her. One offshot of that process is that we discovered Medicam is the only med that has resulted in giving her a more relaxed demeanor. I want to investigate further but it will be a significant challenge and mean taking her to the vet college in PEI so lots of unknowns and new stressors. Its been rough journey and I am trying to consider our best way forward but I do think it may be the peth that will give her ber best chnace at a bigger world.
Heidrun says
I am a huge fan of your blog, but now I am almost beside myself with joy that you have this topic here!
It’s something I’m passionate about and I talk about it wherever I can. And unfortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to talk about signs of pain in dogs because it’s not something that most dog owners think about. That’s why I’ve been giving seminars on the subject for many years to raise awareness. People usually think their dog is fine if he doesn’t limp or cry. There are so many little signs that can point you in the right direction, and I think it’s important to know what they are so you can recognise them in your dog.
My own dog rarely shows clear signs of pain (not unless he is acutely injured), otherwise I can only tell by the changes in his behaviour. He becomes more jumpy, reacts anxiously to sudden movements and loud noises, sleeps more and is much more aware of strange people or dogs. While this awareness of strangers is known to be a trait of this particular breed, it becomes even more apparent when he is having a “bad day” (back pain).
I am very fortunate to have a vet who treats me as an equal and takes my observations seriously. This seems to be a problem for many dog owners whose stories are dismissed when they talk about their dogs’ strange behaviour. So it’s not just about awareness, it’s about finding someone to support you. Even if the vet agrees to try painkillers, some owners give up if they don’t work straight away. But sometimes you need to find out what kind of treatment will work for your dog, and there are always several options.
The same applies to dog trainers: not only can reactivity be a result of pain, but so can chasing/hunting behaviour. In fact, any behaviour related to stress. And how many dogs are in training because of these unwanted behaviours, making life difficult for owners and dogs alike? And are just put through more training instead of going to the vet.
We all want the best for our dogs and sometimes we just lack the knowledge and support. I would like to see more vets and dog trainers educated in this area so that they can better support owners. I’m sure it would have saved me (and others) a lot of sleepless nights and tears, and our dogs from suffering when they shouldn’t.
lak says
My dog at age 9 had lost some of her hearing unbeknownst to me. In the courtyard her vision precluded her from seeing people or animals passing by on the right until directly infront of the gate. Being startled she went after a dog one day and stood over it in an aggressive manner. When I called the vet sure that there was a medical issue of some kind, the first response was “take her to a behaviorist” without even examining her. I was furious. But also determined to get to the bottom of it. With help, I was able to find the problem and take corrective measures. Later on when I came in the house, I would stomp my feet if she did not hear the door to alert her I was home. It was not bad behavior but bad ears! She continued to decline and sadly I had her euthanized after severe illness and much treatment with no avail. Still miss her today. Being a nurse, I always look for health issue FIRST!
Marilee says
A most interesting discussion. I’d like to add that pain can cause less active behavior as well as over reaction. My PBGV has pretty severe arthritis, and I know he’s having a flare when he becomes lethargic and sleeps more. It hurts to move, so he doesn’t. No, it isn’t just that he’s getting old.
Amy F says
The peony (my first attempt) I planted last Fall is poking up 🙂 Delight!
Also, I have never seen a scone pan before, and how cute and cool is that!?
Mireille says
We knew our dog Shadow (Siberian husky) was getting a bit stiff and sour in his back / right back leg. So we took him to a therapist and it did help him to move more easily. We have had him since he was 9 weeks old, and he is now 12,5 years old. He has been used to being at home without us, first with our other dog(s) but the past 3 years also on his own, he has never had any problems with that. Until last January, when he started destroying things and peeing in the house. We set up a camera, tester short periods of time in a crate (so he could also not damage himself, and he has been crate trained). At first he seemed okay, but the third time he was very stressed the moment we left. We took him to a vet, he has probably much more pain than we thought and he is now on painkillers. He has also become sounds sensitive, showing unrest when our phones bleep, that has been going on for a longer period of time, so we have now turned off al these sounds (he is still fine with fireworks and all other things but the whoosh of an email being send is too much…). I find it hard to understand what happens here. We are trying to help him best we can. We take him with us in the car when we have to go to work, but I can’t take him with me into the hospital, so I take him for a walk in my lunch break, it is not ideal but he sleeps relaxed in the car. It is still cold in Norway, but I am not sure how we are going to manage in the summer time. We hope he will find a bit more confidence again now he is in less pain, and started training aging by leaving him for short periods of time. This is actually the first time we have an older dog that is showing behavioural problems. What makes it more difficult is that veterinary care here is very expensive. A simple checkout and some blood tests and an urine test was almost 500 dollars, and I found the examination not very thorough. A simple X ray will be another 300 dollars, which is about three times more expensive that in the country where I come from. I miss my previous vet in the Netherlands…
Sarah says
Thanks for this post! I have a 9 year old Australian Shephard mix that I adopted when she was two. She has always been very uninterested in play with other dogs (which is fine) but also had an increasingly “cranky” personality. We have a vet that really listens to us and, due to some additional physical symptoms (i.e. not eating but gaining weight), our dog was ultimately tested for and diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Her behavior started changing pretty soon after we started treatment. She is way more playful, no longer “cranky” and is much more interested in other dogs. She just seems so much happier now! We believe she was feeling discomfort from the medical condition – which would make anyone cranky! She really seems to be living her best life now and I am so thankful we have such a great vet!
Patricia Anderson says
This is a wonderful point that I will share. My sisters have had the same issue with my mother–“my pain is 10/10” but once at the hospital, enjoyed herself. As a side note, I would rather have seen the peacefully dead ewe rather than the torn-up cardinal.
Lisa J says
Your story about your mom had me laughing. My mom is 91 and she does the exact same thing! In terms of our pups, it is so very difficult to know when pain is a factor. I love the anthropomorphic analogies, they really hit home. Paying attention to your dog and really knowing their behaviors helps to be able to see when they are “not right”. So many helpful insights. Thank you for this post!
LisaH says
This conversation made me think of something somewhat related … its concerning to me when I see an obviously old dog who struggles to walk or settle, much less do anything more, yet the owner seems to think this is just “normal” old dog behavior and insist they still walk miles, or compete in sports, or jump up in the car, or tolerate harassment by younger dogs. Some dogs may do their very best to comply but its because they don’t have a choice or they want to please their owner. Whether young or old, constant, debilitating pain isn’t normal in people or dogs.
Terrie says
I count myself lucky that my chihuahua’s pain is always super obvious. If he’s nauseated, he’s very shaky, restless and whiny. If he has pain, he’s snappy (and only when he has pain. He’s amazingly even tempered for a chihuahua). He can be a bit of a drama queen, but I’d rather have that than a dog who you have to guess with.
LisaW says
When we first got Olive, (more than 14 years ago, wow!), she didn’t exhibit aggression, but some very odd behaviors such as sometimes when she was walking across the room, she’d jump like she was being shocked, or cry—almost scream—when no one had touched her, or whip around as if someone was pulling her (non-existent) tail. We took her to a group of specialists who did blood work, urine samples, x-rays, you name it. And, looking back, I remember being worried that it wasn’t a physical issue. Not that I wanted her to be in pain, but if it wasn’t physical … And it wasn’t. All her tests came back “normal.” (And of course, we needed to rule out the physical before we could get to the mental.) Then began the long road of behavior modification and relaxation techniques and L’Theanine, which worked well for her. When she did have some physical issues, we knew we’d need a vet that used a holistic approach to work with all the parts of Olive. We built the village of holistic vets and a behavior vet and they trained us how to meld those modalities at home. We were so lucky to have found those caring professionals. Many years later, Olive walks around grumbling to herself as we all do or will do in our dotage. She’s got a scruffy beard, needs a little help navigating the stairs, and is a fine old dog that doesn’t worry about too much anymore.
Sandi says
Hi,
We brought a new puppy to join our family. We also had a five year old sweet doodle. We were expecting our doodle to welcome the puppy with open paws. To our surprise our doodle wanted nothing to do with the puppy, and if given the chance would have went after him. We kept them separate and looked for a behaviorist. We were positive that we were going to be rehoming the puppy, but going to try the behaviorist first.
After several appointments with the behaviorist and vet, the behaviorist couldn’t understand why our doodle wouldn’t like the puppy. The puppy just seemed to make the doodle nervous. Our doodle would lay by the puppy when it was in a crate or playpen. Weird!
The behaviorist knew I had taken the doodle to the vet to be checked, but her only diagnoses was the doodle was in pain. I decided to get a second opinion from another vet. The new vet did tests and X-rays since she felt there was sensitivity in the elbow area. Then we went to Madison to have a scan.
Yep! Elbow dysplasia!
After our doodle recovered from surgery. she loved the puppy! They’ve been best friends since! I’m forever grateful for the behaviorist. I don’t know if I would have even thought about pain!
Octopusgallery says
A friend of a friend brought her beloved but increasingly and dangerously aggressive to humans buck to my friend’s farm to be put down and slaughtered. While we were butchering the goat, we discovered a torsioned organ (I cannot remember for the life of me if it was a gallbladder or testicle!) which could easily have been the root cause of his behavior. A pity it was discovered too late.
Jann Becker says
“Good thing I’m not a betting man; Dooley has a UTI!”
We were going through house training lapses almost daily and weren’t even sure which dog was “misbehaving.” Cleaning up pee in the laundry room was a real pain when it got under the washer…but wait a minute, peeing next to the refrigerator and next to the washer might be what happens when your well trained dog is trying so hard to make it out the door and just, can’t.
So I tell Spouse to stop yelling at them, we’re going to the vet where both dogs got exams and urine cultures. The vet thought it was probably behavioral, but sure ’nuff, it was medical and a course of antibiotics fixed the problem.
Evelyn says
I have found a lot of misinformation (ignorance?) about communicating with dogs.
In my experience is if you talk to your dogs as you would to a human pre-schooler thy do very vey well at understanding “human”.
Generally, dogs do better at understanding ‘human’ than most humans do at understanding ‘dog’.
I get a great deal of pleasure now having dogs (actually now just one dog) to communicate with. My husband had a heart attack, spent 4+ months in hospital, and has problems now with memory and deafness.
I don’t know how I would cope without Mad Millie, the Speagle.
Evelyn says
By Golly! Gee! As someone who had not always been easy to get along with, I can assure everybody that PAIN can cause crankiness, irritability, hiding, and having frozen pies AGAIN for dinner!!
Chris Johnson says
About 20 years ago I had an amazing Springer; smart, agile, loved to learn and wound up being hired to do tricks for parties & events. One of his other wonderful qualitites was that he LOVED puppies (inherited from his Dad) so I often used him to help socialize puppies. We’d been working with a young Cairn Terrier who had been traumatized at a very inappropriate daycare by many huge dogs and by a staff member there who sprayed her in the face with bitter appled when she snapped at the other dogs. Poor girl! She had previously been very social and fortunately this was a one day event as her owner had a bad feeling and went back unexpectedly to check on her to discover her in a corner with the huge dogs surrounding her and the staff spraying her, so she was whisked out of there post haste! Brinkley and I started our work with her within a week and it was going great. They adored each other and the pup was starting to recover to her pre-trauma self. But then one day after several weeks, as the dogs were loading into the car for an outing & the pup was happily licking his face, Brinkley snapped at her. Nothing outrageous enough to set the pup back or caues any physical damage, but so out of character for him that I began to watch him carefully. I soon discovered that he had a broken molar which turned out to be broken right down to the pulp. Once the tooth was removed, he was back to his wonderful self.
Katie says
This is one of the most important lessons that I learned with my 11 year old sweet boy. He came to me at 6 months with lots of fear based reactivity (both dogs and vehicles created big feelings on walks). We worked with wonderful R+ trainers who helped me understand him and we got to a point where it was all very manageable. Then around 7, things started go sideways and his noise sensitivity in particular, went through the roof. It would happen in spurts but it was so confusing and hard to understand after all of the progress we had made. Then finally, at 9 we took him to a behaviorist who insisted we investigate for underlying pain, in addition to starting him on Venlafaxine for generalized anxiety. And sure enough, after switching vets, we have an arthritis diagnosis. It makes so much sense that this arthritis flare ups were connected to the increase in noise sensitivity and inability to settle and rest. We have the right pain med treatment plan in place and we have our lovely sensitive boy back.
Thanks for such a great post!
Nicole Wilde says
Hi, Trisha! Thanks for this blog. I’ve thought about this topic a lot over the years with clients’ dogs and my own, probably because I live with chronic pain and know how it can affect mood, behavior, and sensitivities. Something I’ve wondered about but can’t seem to find studies on is whether dogs experience headaches. It seems that vets agree it’s possible, but difficult of course to diagnose. Any thoughts or references? With any sudden behavioral change such as aggression, of course we advise owners to have their dog thoroughly checked out by a vet. But I always wonder about chronic pain that goes undiagnosed.
Heidrun says
@ Nicole – Headaches in dogs
Because I’m convinced that dogs can get headaches, I spent a long time (and still do) searching the internet for evidence.
The only case study I found was this one:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvim.12167
I’d also be interested in any other studies or research on the subject.
In my own dog (who I suspect suffers from occasional headaches) I have noticed squinting eyes, avoidance of bright light and sensitivity to being touched on the head.
Trisha says
Nicole, that is an excellent question, and a perfect example of how easily things could be happening inside our dog that we have no awareness of. I, of course, am not a vet, but given the similarity of human and canine brains, it’s hard to imagine that dogs don’t ever get headaches. And yet, then… how would we ever know? Kudos to Heidrun’s comment above, for finding a study that addresses this issue. I can wait to ask all the vets I know if this ever comes up.
Trisha says
Kudos Heidrun for finding a case study, l’ll read it in full soon. I think your observations of light avoidance, squinting eyes and head sensitivity are great observations. I can’t wait to talk to vets about this–please, veterianarians who are reading, what say you?
Chris from Boise says
I’ve heard the advice “first take your dog for a medical workup” for behavioral issues, but haven’t taken it as seriously as perhaps I should. “28 to 82% of problem behaviors being influenced by or caused by pain” – holy cow! And noise sensitivity exacerbated by pain – I would never have thought of that. Time to chat with my vet about Rowan’s noise phobias.
My one additional data point: a friend’s perfectly lovely dog became unexpectedly head-shy. Fortunately her trainer suggested a vet checkup. Cheatgrass in the ear – no wonder she was flinching and snapping.
YES to videoing behavior at home to show the vet. This has been invaluable for us.
What a beautiful video of Skip working so quietly yet firmly.
kathi says
I’m looking forward to your further conversation about why herding dogs are so sensitive to sound and movement. We have a Shetland Sheepdog who’s nearly a year and a half old, who is very cuddly and an absolute love, but also reacts mightily to, well, all kinds of things. He gets wound up and bitey, but give him a moment to calm down and he’s back to being his lovable self. I’ve thought about trying him on Prozac or ??? to see if it helps. I feel like he would rather be more calm.
Becky Brunner says
I really enjoyed this article and the deeper look into how pain affects an animal. I can certainly relate to your mother’s story, and applying that same situation to a dog at a veterinarian made total sense! Thank you for your thorough insights.
Catie says
I just took my 10-year-old Wirehaired Pointing Griffon to the vet for this very reason, she has become very reactive to various sounds around the house. The vet looked at me like I was a little nuts when I suggested pain as a potential irritant but was willing to entertain my concern and prescribed a dog-safe NSAID. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights into our dogs!
Trisha says
Catie, keep us posted! And good for your vet for honoring your concerns. At least if the nsaid doesn’t work you’ll have more information.
Catie says
I wanted to also note I’ve been reading your books and am currently reading “The Other End of the Leash” and am learning SO much. I watched how the vet interacted with my dog and my dog’s body language in response to his touches and approaches. I was thinking to myself, “wow he’s doing this all wrong” pats on the head and direct face-to face eye contact right off the bat. She was clearly uncomfortable. Some of the contact was necessary to assess eye health and so forth. Again, thankful for such great resources to help me interact with my dogs in more nurturing way. These books should be prerequisites for Veterinarians 🙂
Emily Priestey says
I had a fantastic time chatting with you, and I’m always game for any conversation that helps people understand how pain presents in their animals.
We often think of dogs and cats as “dramatic.” We assume we’d know if they were struggling, but most of them hide it very well.
We owe it to them to learn how they move through the world. I’m encouraged by the commenters here, who all seem so in tune with their dogs!
Jackie D says
All three of my dogs have had behavioural problems that turned out to have a physical underpinning.
#1 OCD to the point where we having QoL discussions with the vet turned out to be related to subtle focal seizures. Treating those completely eliminated the OCD.
#2 Fear of leaving the house, and noise phobia – pain from persistent UTIs and probably also arthritis. Never actually eliminated though improved by pain meds and now she has gone deaf as a post in old age and will happily go for walks.
#3 Extreme food obsession and thieving. He will climb up the front of a 6’ book case to get very dull dog treats on the top. Almost certainly caused by chronic pancreatitis.
Katrina says
@ Nicole and Heidrun
As dogs have dura matter around their brain they certainly can have headaches.
On Facebook there is a group for a certain bodywork method – craniosacral fascial therapy (CFT), also known as the Gillespie method. It is based on the idea that fascia permeates and envelopes all out tissues and of course the duration matter in the head. The group is for human therapy but there are also cases when it was used on animals with great results.
One case was when a woman asked Dr Gillespie to treat her dog for headache. She insisted her dog had them.
I love this blog post and all the comments a lot.
Trisha says
Katrina, excellent point about dura matter. And fyi, I had cranial sacral therapy years ago for a serious back pain problem and it helped greatly. Was also the most relaxing thing I think I’ve ever done. Regretably, the CFT therapist left, and I was never able to find anyone as good. But thanks for the comparative anatomy, excellent point.