Pain is often difficult to recognize and interpret in dogs, but in no way does that imply they don't feel it. Whether pain is short-term or long-term, it can make your dog's life very unpleasant if it's not managed properly. Pain may certainly have a protective role in minimizing injury and preventing further damage, but unrelieved pain can make a dog's condition worse and has no beneficial effects. Any time you believe your dog is in pain, ask your veterinarian what can be done to help.

The response to pain can be involuntary or voluntary. For instance, when a groomer's nail clippers cut into the quick, the painfully sensitive blood vessel that feeds the nail, the dog reflexively jerks his paw back. That's an involuntary response.

A voluntary response is based on experience. A dog who's had his nails clipped too short in the past remembers the pain and jerks his paw back before the clippers even touch the nail.

The sensation of pain can originate in the skin, bones, joints, muscles, or internal organs. Each causes a different type of pain:

• CUTANEOUS PAIN: This type of pain is caused by injury to the skin or superficial tissues. Minor cuts, burns, and lacerations are examples of cutaneous pain.

• SOMATIC PAIN: A broken bone or sprained joint produces somatic pain, which originates from ligaments, tendons, bones, blood vessels, and nerves.

• VISCERAL PAIN: Nociceptors located within body organs or body cavities produce visceral pain, such as a stomachache.

Signs of Pain

Recognizing and finding the source of pain in dogs is a challenge. Dogs can't say where it hurts or how much it hurts, so you and your veterinarian must rely on your knowledge and observations of your dog's normal behavior.

The early signs of pain are subtle. They might include eating less, failing to greet you at the door when you come home from work, or not wanting to be groomed when normally that's a pleasurable experience. More obvious signs of pain include limping, reluctance to move, squinting or pawing at the eyes, crying out or whining when touched, or even snapping when touched.

Any unexplained abnormality in your dog's routine behavior or activity level is significant and warrants a visit to the veterinarian. Common signs of pain you should watch for include the following. Check off those you notice in your dog and mark down any specifics in the space provided.

CHANGES IN PERSONALITY OR ATTITUDE, SUCH AS A NORMALLY QUIET AND DOCILE DOG BECOMING AGGRESSIVE OR AN AGGRESSIVE DOG BECOMING QUIET

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ABNORMAL VOCALIZATIONS, SUCH AS WHINING OR WHIMPERING, ESPECIALLY WHEN A PAINFUL AREA IS TOUCHED OR THE DOG OR THE DOG IS FORCED TO MOVE

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LICKING, BITING, SCRATCHING, OR SHAKING OF ONE AREA

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PILOERECTION, A REFLEX OF THE MUSCLES AT THE BASE OF THE HAIR SHAFTS THAT CAUSE THE HAIR TO STAND ON END

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CHANGES IN POSTURE OR MOVEMENT, SUCH AS LIMPING, HOLDING A PAW UP, OR TENSING THE ABDOMINAL AND BACK MUSCLES TO PRODUCE A TUCKED-UP APPEARANCE

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CHANGES IN ACTIVITY LEVEL, INCLUDING RESTLESSNESS, PACING, LETHARGY, OR RELUCTANCE TO MOVE

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LOSS OF APPETITE

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CHANGES IN FACIAL EXPRESSION, SUCH AS DULL EYES OR PINNED EARS

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CHANGES IN BOWEL MOVEMENTS OR URINATION, SUCH AS STRAINING

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Your veterinarian will check your dog's heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature. All of these tend to increase in the presence of pain. The veterinarian may check a blood sample for elevations in glucose, corticosteroid, and catecholamine concentrations.

Diagnosing Pain

To find the source of the pain, your veterinarian will probably begin by palpating your dog's body, examining it by hand to check the condition of the organs and search for painful lumps or bumps. He may put pressure on the trigger points along the spine and check the range of motion of the legs by extending and flexing the joints to look for signs of discomfort. Once he knows where the pain is, your veterinarian can try to figure out what's causing it and how to treat it.

When there isn't an obvious cause for pain, such as a surgical wound, for instance, or a broken bone, sophisticated diagnostic techniques can help. These include analysis of the cerebral spinal fluid, radiographs of the spine using dye (myelography), measurements of the electrical activity in the muscles (electromyography), and brain imaging with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.