Educating pet owners

Helping pet owners recognize pain in their pets

Because clients often miss the signs of pain in their pets, it's important to talk with them about ways they can recognize whether their animals are experiencing pain. Many animals are very stoic in the face of pain. In the wild, to show weakness is to invite predators, so they are "hardwired" to try to hide their pain.

When talking to pet owners about recognizing acute pain, a good rule of thumb to share is, "if it would hurt for you, it could hurt for them." It's also important for owners to know that many of the signs that they may believe result from advancing age are actually symptoms of pain from a chronic condition such as osteoarthritis.

This site contains useful, easy-to-follow information for pet owners about recognizing the signs of pain in cats and pain in dogs. An interactive quiz is also available to help pet owners understand what their cat's behaviour or dog's behaviour is telling them about pain.