{"id":347,"date":"2018-12-04T13:24:44","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T18:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/blog\/?p=347"},"modified":"2022-12-12T16:23:46","modified_gmt":"2022-12-12T21:23:46","slug":"recognizing-and-handling-pet-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/blog\/recognizing-and-handling-pet-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"A Soft Touch: Recognizing and Handling Pet Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/iStock-642053946.jpg\" alt=\"Pet pain can have a tremendous impact on pet health and happiness\" class=\"wp-image-348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/iStock-642053946.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/iStock-642053946-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/iStock-642053946-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>As wonderful as the journey of pet ownership can be, there are bound to be bumps in the road at some point. Pet pain is a common occurrence, and it can be surprisingly difficult to detect given the natural instinct most animals have to hide signs of pain or illness. <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Managing pain is absolutely critical to the overall well being of any creature \u2013 but how do you know when your pet is in pain?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Warning Signs of Pet Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Routine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/pet-health\/adult-pet-wellness.html\">wellness exams<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/services\/digital-x-ray-and-ultrasound.html\">diagnostic<\/a> testing are essential to the early detection and treatment of health issues. As a pet owner, you also play a pivotal role since you know your pet better than anyone else. Oftentimes, it\u2019s your careful observation of changes in personality, habits, or appearance that first alert us to the fact that something is amiss.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Common signs of pet pain include:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Breathing<\/strong> \u2013 Pets in pain may experience faster or more shallow breathing than normal, or they may pant excessively for no apparent reason.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Personality<\/strong> \u2013 Just like with humans, pain can really transform a pet\u2019s personality. Sudden aggression, hiding, cowering, or other behavioral changes should be reported to your veterinarian as soon as possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Appetite<\/strong> \u2013 Loss of appetite and weight loss are very common symptoms of pet pain, especially in cases of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/services\/dental-care.html\">dental disease<\/a> when pain in the mouth can make eating difficult or impossible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Elimination<\/strong> \u2013 In some cases, pain can make it difficult for a pet to urinate or defecate. Bring your pet in to see us immediately if they\u2019re experiencing any problems in this area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mobility <\/strong>\u2013 An illness, injury, or chronic condition (such as arthritis) can make moving painful. A pet who\u2019s limping, favoring one side, stumbling, or displaying a change in gait should be seen by a veterinarian.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Restlessness<\/strong> \u2013 Restless behaviors, such as pacing, clinginess, difficulty getting comfortable, or inability to keep still, can indicate that your pet is in distress. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grooming<\/strong> \u2013 Most pets, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/blog\/happy-cat-healthy-cat\/\">especially cats<\/a>, are fastidious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/services\/grooming.html\">groomers<\/a>. However, if you notice your pet obsessively licking, scratching, or biting at a particular spot, pain may be the cause.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pain Management Strategies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Treating and managing pain in pets is a top priority at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/blog\/veterinarian\/\">Volunteer Veterinary Hospital<\/a>. We offer a variety of pain management strategies tailored to meet the needs of each patient. Following an initial exam and diagnostic testing (if necessary), we may recommend one or more of the following options:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Medication<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Physical therapy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/blog\/pet-obesity\/\">Weight management<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/services\/laser-therapy.html\">Laser therapy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prescription diet<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nutritional supplement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Please <a href=\"https:\/\/www.volvethosp.com\/\">contact our team<\/a> if you have additional questions about pet pain. We\u2019re always here for you! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As wonderful as the journey of pet ownership can be, there are bound to be bumps in the road at some point. Pet pain is a common occurrence, and it can be surprisingly difficult to detect given the natural instinct most animals have to hide signs of pain or illness. Managing pain is absolutely critical [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,136],"tags":[209,210,44],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pet-health-wellness","category-senior-pet-care","tag-pet-pain","tag-pet-pain-management","tag-senior-pet-care"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Soft Touch: Recognizing and Handling Pet Pain | Volunteer Veterinary Hospital<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As wonderful as the journey of pet ownership can be, there are bound to be bumps in the road at some point.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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