Tuesday 11 December 2007

do we really know when our dogs are in pain?

At times this year Penny seemed to be limping slightly. The vet said that he felt a slight 'click' when he manipulated her leg. We watched her in many different situations and couldn't quite see whether the limp had disappeared but we decided to err on the side of caution and kept activity to a minimum for some time. She has also been taking 'joint' supplements. I think she's okay now...

Because of the difficulty of being absolutely sure Penny is moving freely I was interested to read a posting by Dr. Patty Khul, known as Dolittler, a vet whose blog is subtitled A veterinary blog for pet lovers, vet voyeurs and the medically curious. She says she feels frustrated by clients who won't take her word for it that their pets are in pain - she finds that she often has to actually cause the dog to whimper or squeal before the owners will realise the pain is real.
The posting is an interesting take on the vet's view of these situations, and also has comments by others.
This site is worth a visit just for its own sake, but it also has a wealth of links to other interesting material.

7 comments:

Amber-Mae said...

My hoomans say that they can tell when we're in pain. Even if we don't scream, yelp, whine & whimper, they can tell it when we pant or when we lie down with our heads down & panting heavily. I have a slight click too when the doctor did that examination with me but the doctor confirmed already that it's not HD. It was caused by falling down & slamming onto the main gate. I also had a bad accident last time when I was riding with my mommy on a bicycle. I was leashed to the handle but when I saw a cat, I ran across the front of the bicycle & pulled hard & my mommy couldn't stop in time & so she ran over me, my legs. I was in pain & couldn't walk so my mommy carried me all the way back home. After a few minutes, my leg was fine. They don't know whether the hip problem was caused by them or was it genetic.

Love licks,
Solid Gold Dancer

parlance said...

That must have been a really, really upsetting time for both your mum and you, Amber-Mae. Thank goodness you have recovered well.

Johann The Dog said...

Hi! Thanks for voting for me, looks like we're pulling away from that pack of cats! BOL!

That is a great site - Dolittler! Very informative, we visit often.

We still promise to do that post on foundation work, hopefully this weekend when things calm down a bit.

I think the more Mum gets to know me, she knows when I'm not quite 'right'. It takes really getting to know your pup.

Nice posts - as are all of your posts!

Woofs, Johann

parlance said...

Johann, I think I would know if there were a serious problem with Penny, now. She's the first dog in our household and we were pretty nervous about looking after her - didn't even know what or how much to feed her when she first arrived.

Good luck with showing those cats you deserve to hold onto first place - your blog is great.

Slavenka said...

Hi!I'm happy because Penny is ok.
When my Obi have pain he is always
in the bathroom ,always.

parlance said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
parlance said...

It's good that Obi lets you know when he is in pain.

I love those funny pictures you are posting on your blo