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How can I tell if my dog is in pain?

This is a question that we often get from sitter and owners who work with Rover. Help the community out by answering them in our forum!

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Limping and whining are obviouse signs. They will often act nervous. Excessive tail wagging, licking and sometimes biting when you try to touch them can also indicate pain.

Lethargy, lack of appetite, crouching, hiding, whimpering, tucked tail are just some signs. Sometimes, carefully feeling the abdomen and touching lightly if the belly seems tense that can indicate there is a problem.

Whimpering is a common sign. Others include limping, not eating, growling/aggression, excessive licking of an area, and visual wound.

7 Answers

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A dog will show he's in pain by yelping, panting heavily, pacing, won't settle down, and acting lethargic. Sometimes they will also stop eating.

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A dog's rate of breathing may increase due to pain, as well (at unexpected times, other than when exercising). Our dog was breathing heavily/quickly and acting nervous/aggressive to other animals due to pain.

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Vocalizing, and panting are huge signs of pain or discomfort. Not eating, not wanting to do much are also signs of discomfort

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You'll want to look for changes in behavior when looking to see if your dog is in pain such as : limping, refusing to move aka mobility issues, changes in posture or changes in breathing. They may even change their eating habits.

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If your dog is in pain, there will definitely be a huge behavioral change. Your dog might stop eating or drinking and might cry. You will see your dog having less energy as well.

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Limping, licking, scratching, drowsiness/lethargy, whining, or other behavioral cues may let you know. If your dog isn't eating or drinking like usual it's a good sign something is off.

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It all depends on what kind of pain the dog is suffering from. Anything that is out of the ordinary should be alarming enough to look into it a little deeper. It could be a changed behavior, a different way of breathing, changed heart rate , not being interested in anything etc.