One of the dogs that I walk regularly is a beautiful girl who shall remain nameless - she is very polite, keen to please and usually very engaged with me and her surroundings. Recently on one of our walks it became obvious she wasn't her usual happy go lucky self.... she seemed ill at ease and distracted, ears held back and stiff bodied. We had a fairly functional walk and I got her home and told her dad that I felt she hadn't enjoyed the walk as much as usual. It later transpired, just as dad was telling mum of our conversation, that she had swallowed a stuffed (toy!) squirrel earlier in the day which she promptly brought back up in front of them!
Now I don't pretend to know what it feels like to have a whole squirrel lodged in my gullet but I'm guessing its pretty uncomfortable! Luckily we were on a half hour walk so she was back home to bed before the reappearance of said squirrel but had obviously felt a bit green while we were out. Dogs, like humans, have different levels of sensitivity and pain thresholds. Most dogs want to live life to the full and pain can sometimes be put aside whilst they pursue whatever their particular activity of choice is. Once the adrenaline stops the pain or discomfort comes back to the fore. Most indicators, like limping or shaking, are obvious but other signs to look out for include:
All over stiffness
Panting (without exertion or heat)
Taking longer to sit, lie or stand
Ears held back
Reticence to perform usual easy requests
Pacing
Staring
Unable to settle
Sudden grumpiness
Unusual licking
Reluctance to play
Change in appetite or sleeping pattern
I've never met a dog who lies (although I have met a few who are drama queens!), so if we listen, we can learn what is normal behaviour for them and hopefully know when things aren't quite right....
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