Why is my dog in pain?
Many conditions can induce pain: Not only injury and trauma, but other less obvious conditions including osteoarthritis or medical conditions as well.
Below are a few examples of causes of canine pain:
- Osteoarthritis, degenerative joint diseases. Symptoms may include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness and sometimes joint effusion (“water on the knee”)
- Surgical procedures: Orthopaedic surgery (hip, cruciate ligament repair, fracture); soft tissue surgery (castration/genital surgery, mammectomy and tumour removal)
- Dental problems: Tooth abscesses, ulcers, stomatitis (inflammation of the mucous tissue of the mouth) and oral tumours
- Bone diseases or cancer
Information sources
The American Animal Hospital Association/American Association of Feline Practitioners Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs & Cats, 2007
Handbook of veterinary pain management. James S. Gaynor, William W. Muir III. Mosby Elsevier, 2nd edition, 2009
Pain management in small animals. A manual for veterinary nurses and technicians. Debbie Grant. Butterworth Heinemann, 2006
