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How Do I Know If My Pet Is In Pain?

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I think about pet pain a lot. My dog, Ginger, is 11 years old now and beginning to turn from a vibrant red to a heavy dose of white fur. And she’s struggled with lameness.

September is Pain Awareness Month for both pets and people. But, unlike those of us training for fall marathons who can articulate where our bodies hurt, pets cannot.

Signs

“According to the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC), more than 45 million household pets suffer from chronic or acute pain.”

Signs that you should look for according to International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) include the following list of most common signs of pain:

  • Decreased activity – Take notice if your animal is not playing as much as usual
  • Not going up or down stairs – This could be an early sign of osteoarthritis
  • Reluctance to jump onto surfaces – This especially applies to cats
  • Difficulty standing after laying down – This is a sign of osteoarthritis
  • Decreased appetite – This can signal mouth pain
  • Over grooming or licking a particular area – This can be a sign of referred pain

What To Do

Fortunately, there are a number of options available to pet parents. Ginger was able to get some physical therapy, massage, and laser treatments. That, combined with some relatively inexpensive medications, have returned her to a level of activity that is satisfying to see.

While her veterinarians were all good doctors, the resources available to do the therapy and laser treatments came as a result of a conversation with a behaviorist trainer. Her bloodwork never identified acute health concerns. It was only after doing a few expensive X-rays that some early spinal issues were spotted.

You may have to investigate resources for your pet if they are showing signs of pain. Fortunately, as the pet care industry has expanded, so have the number of options. Your vet may be able to offer suggestions for quality treatment options if their practice doesn’t provide them.

You are your pet’s best advocate, so keep an eye on them and have any signs of possible chronic pain looked into. You’ll both feel better.

National Service Dog Month

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Some dogs get up and get dressed to go to work like the human population. These dogs, often recognized by their vests or ID tags, are service dogs. September is Service Dog Awareness Month. How much do you know about service dogs?

Definition

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog is defined as “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.”   You may be familiar with seeing different types of service dogs: guide dogs; medical alert dogs; or psychiatric service dogs.

And other types of dogs have support roles for people, but do not meet the definition of a working dog to qualify for the accommodations under the ADA. For example, emotional support animals and therapy dogs play a significant role to the individuals they serve. But, these animals are not considered ADA defined service dogs.

Training

The AKC reports that both for-profit and non-profit organizations train services dogs. The cost to train a single dog can exceed $25,000. Standards are high for these dogs. Dropout rates range between 50 and 70 percent.

A fact that surprised me was that service dogs do not have to be professionally trained per the ADA. So, an individual could train their own dog. The AKC suggests the ideal candidate have the following characteristics:

  • Be calm, especially in unfamiliar settings
  • Be alert, but not reactive
  • Have a willingness to please
  • Able to learn and retain information
  • Be capable of being socialized to many different situations and environments
  • Be reliable in performing repetitive tasks

Interaction

It’s important to note that not all service dogs wear vests. And like all dog etiquette, requesting permission to approach or pet a dog. Service dogs are not considered pets, but rather working animals.

If you want to find out what it is like to have a service dog, check out a first-hand account on the AKC’s website: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/what-its-really-like-to-have-a-service-dog-national-service-dog-month/

Take Your Cat To The Vet Day

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According to PetMD, a recent study showed that more than half of the cats in the US had not been seen by a veterinarian in the past year for a wellness exam.

While I do not parent a cat, I know many people who do have cats. And they all indicate that getting their cat to the vet’s office is one of their biggest challenges. From the disappearing cat act when the carrier appears, to the fight to get them into the carrier and car, and the subsequent fight to get them out of the carrier at the vet’s office, it goes on and on. 

The woes of transport lead many cat parents to simply avoid the annual visit to the vet for a checkup. Many cite undo stress as the reason they opt to avoid the ordeal. According to PetMD, cats have a unique survival tactic that results in them attempting to hide symptoms of an illness until they simply can no longer do so. 

That means skipping those annual visits may result in a missed opportunity to address a treatable disease until it is too late to head off the worst. 

Symptoms and Signs

Since cats are creatures of habits, some signs that you should signal an immediate trip to the vet might be needed include:

  • Hiding
  • Change in eating or appetite
  • New litter box habits
  • Chang in sleeping location 

Strategies

There are some ways to minimize stress in those trips to the veterinarian with your cat. First, don’t get the carrier out until you are leaving for the vet’s office. Pulling it out too soon can result in a game of hide and seek you probably don’t want to play.

Second, you can build a positive association with the carrier in the months leading up to the visit. Or, consider a mild sedative prescribed by your vet to take the edge off your cat’s anxiety. If all of that fails, see if your vet would make a house call (there are still some that practice on site visits).

Let National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day be a motivator to get your feline seen for a wellness exam.

National Immunization Awareness Month

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Behind the Acronyms of Dog Vaccines

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Vaccines are given to your pets to prevent them from having a fatal, or near fatal, response to specific diseases that are highly contagious, dangerous, or both, according to Dr. Kate Creevy at Texas A&M University.

Some vaccines, like rabies shots, are required by law and others are recommended. What each pet needs is a conversation best had between your veterinarian and you.

After all, if your pet is never going to spend time at a boarding facility, you might not need to get a bordetella (or kennel cough) vaccination. Or, if your pet goes to a groomer who requires a canine influenza vaccine for all clients, you might need to get that to patronize their facility.

Core Vaccines

According to Fetch by WebMD, there are core vaccines that all pets should receive and non-core vaccines that are situational, depending on your individual circumstances.

Core vaccines include the following for both cats and dogs, except where noted:

  • rabies
  • distemper
  • parvovirus
  • hepatitis (dogs)

Cats additionally require: 

  • herpesvirus
  • calicivirus
  • panleukopenia

Lifestyle Considerations

In my personal experience, I have made specific choices based on the lifestyle my dog leads. Ginger makes trips to the country several times a year. She has a not-so-desired tendency to slurp water from puddles that could contain contaminants from wildlife. Therefore, I opted to protect her by getting a Leptospirosis vaccine. Because she does not attend daycare or congregate with other dogs, we typically pass on canine influenza. However, an outbreak in the city we live in changed our minds a few years back. We now take it periodically based on her anticipated time around other dogs (which is infrequent).

Each situation and pet is different. We encourage you to research and talk to your pet health care provider to determine what works best.

Making Ice Cream As A Summer Treat

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What sounds better on a hot, steamy summer day than a big ole scoop of your favorite ice cream? Not much!
 
But, your pet may not be able to digest the contents of your favorite batch of frozen goodness. So, why not make some ice cream for them?
 
We’ve assembled some ideas for you to whip up some homemade treats that will taste way better than what is in the store. And making it yourself will give you the benefit of knowing exactly what each treat contains.
 
First up, many people are familiar with Frosty Paws in the grocery store. Our friends over at HGTV have concocted a similar treat with fewer ingredients. It contains yogurt, peanut butter and baby food. If your dog doesn’t take well to plain yogurt you can use an alternate. Click this link to get the recipe.
 
Maybe you have fresh fruit and would prefer to mix up something a little less creamy, but still tasty. The AKC has options that extend beyond traditional peanut butter ice cream. Check out the various options they have available at https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/diy-frozen-dog-treats/.
 
Remember that too much dairy can cause an upset tummy. Also, some sugar free additives can be toxic to your pet. Be especially cautious with peanut butter as the additive xylitol can be fatal to your pet if ingested. If you have questions about your pets health and nutrition we always recommend consulting your veterinarian.
 
We hope that these ideas help you create a nutritious and delicious treat to share with your pet during the hot summer days ahead of us.