15/11/2024
Such a great post by the brilliant Kate Harper, based in Tunbridge Wells.
So many behavioural problems are the result of pain and gut issues. Often, just because the dog doesn't "look" like they're in pain, doesn't mean there isn't any pain or discomfort.
Trust your gut. If you feel something is not right, advocate for your dog. Get a second or third opinion. Your dog will thank you โค๏ธ
What's the most common cause of behavioural problems in dogs?
A lack of training and clear consistent boundaries?
A lack of socialisation?
Not providing enough exercise or enrichment for the breed?
No. Itโs none of the above.
Itโs PAIN.
While the above are important factors to consider too, the number one cause of behavioural issues in dogs remains untreated pain or other medical conditions, quite often gut or other health issues.
While this awareness is slowly filtering into the psyches of vets and trainers, it is important to educate yourself on the below so that you can advocate for your dog when visiting the vets for a health check or choosing a trainer to work with your dog. Most often in the dogs I see as a behaviourist, pain is not diagnosed until the dogs second or third vet visit and that is why I am changing my pre behaviour assessment processes to involve specially trained vets ONLY starting in the new year.
The below fact check is inspired by Dr Robert Falconer-Taylor's (BVetMed, DipCABT, MRCVS) fantastic series last year on the โCommon Myths of Chronic Painโ:
'My dogs had a vet check, he's fine'
You CANNOT always diagnose chronic pain in dogs by giving them a thorough physical examination, taking x-rays, watching their gait or doing other laboratory tests.
Pain relief trials are really important tools that your vet might consider. They might spend some time trialling different pain relief medications or combining them together as chronic pain can be hard to eliminate.
The trial should be at least 4 weeks long, but sometimes itโs longer.
Sometimes dogs' behavioural issues disappear quickly just by them starting on a course of pain relief. Other times we get a positive result but the signs are more subtle such as the dog is a bit calmer or sleeps better.
One or two weeks metacam is NOT a pain relief trial, doing that and then declaring the dog pain free is nonsensical. There are different types of pain. Nerve pain can take months to wind down so we need to monitor the dog over quite some time and use pain relief that actually treats nerve pain for example.
'Dogs habituate to chronic pain'
Nope, dogs do not habituate to chronic pain such as that caused by arthritis. It will only get worse if left untreated. And the longer you leave it, the harder it is to treat, causing huge welfare issues for dogs.
'My older dog is just slow because she's old'
A damaging misconception. Age isnโt a disease. Older dogs should be thoroughly checked over and treated for the things that are making them 'slow' as they are very likely painful!
โMy dog cannot be in pain because it can jump in the car or chase a ballโ
This is a common and damaging misunderstanding and it pains me that I sometimes hear this said by vets. This is absolutely false.
Adrenaline and other hormones may mask pain and allow dogs to do these activities. That doesnโt mean that they are not in pain.
To give you an example. I have arthritis in the vertebrae in my back, I have two disc prolapses and I have fractured L2, I also go to the gym everyday, I swim, I walk, and I could chase a ball and jump in my car!!! I can do all of those things while in pain. Does it affect my behaviour though when I am in pain - yes! And do I take a painkiller - yes!
โPain meds arenโt safe and they can have side effectsโ or โI want to leave it as late as possible before starting my dog on pain reliefโ.
Again, common and damaging misconceptions. Many drugs used to treat pain in dogs are safe and leaving dogs until they are visibly in pain may actually mean that youโve left it to a point where it is very hard for a vet to treat because of the stubborn neurological processes associated with pain which will have set in at this point. When most pet owners notice pain, by this point it is normally quite serious and drastically impacting on the dogs quality of life.
'My dog cannot be in pain because he is youngโ or โMy dog canโt have a musculoskeletal problem heโs only 2โ
Dogs are not as young as you think and they can be born with health conditions.
Remember, large breed and giant breed dogs are considered to be senior by age 5 or 6! And how many of you reading this are middle aged even and experiencing some pain somewhere in your body now!? Dodgy knee or hip, bit of back pain when you've been sitting at your desk for too long? Quite a number of you I imagine!
In the last year I have seen at least a dozen dogs under 3 years for behaviour problems that were found to have previously undiagnosed orthopaedic diseases when taken for vet checks. I have also seen dogs under a year with behavioural issues that needed orthopaedic surgery before hitting their 1 year milestone.
โMy dog isnโt right but I took her to the vets and they said she was fine.โ
Trust your gut, get a second opinion, get support from a veterinary physiotherapist or behaviourist. In my experience, more often than not, significant pain causing health problems are most often NOT found on the dog's FIRST practice visit. This is why I am switching to use specialist only vets for health checks in my work. I want to save my clients time and money and minimise the amount of potentially stressful trips needed for the dog.
Itโs not just about pain....
While musculoskeletal issues are responsible for a lot of pain related conditions, there is also an increasing amount of research into the link between gut health and behavioural issues in dogs. We have only just discovered the tip of the iceberg on this topic and I look forward to all the future research which will no doubt highlight more links between health and behaviour.
