Pain really can be a pain in the neck?!?

Whether I have my "normal vet" hat on or my veterinary behaviour/ pain assessor hat on, pain in animals is something I deal with every single day.

Most animals are incredibly resilient- and when motivated to eat, drink, run and play, despite the fact they have underlying pain issues- they get on with it, regardless.

This doesn't mean the pain isn't there, it just means that it is at a manageable level rather than an overwhelming/ debilitating level, which stops other normal and necessary functions.

Unfortunately- pet owners are often shocked and surprised when they find out their pet is and probably, has been in pain for a long time- in some cases since puppy or kittenhood, if it is a hereditary or congenital defect they have been born with.

Equally- just because an animal allows a vet to manipulate their head/ neck/ back or limbs, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. X-rays give us a good idea what is going on under the skin's surface, but they don't tell us about the nerves, muscles, ligaments or tendons which surround the bones we can see on the x-ray. A clean or "normal" looking x-ray does not mean the animal isn't experiencing pain. It just means we can't point our finger, or a little digital arrow, on the place we want to call the "source or root" of the problem.

"Animal pain is an aversive, sensory experience representing awareness by the animal of damage or threat to the integrity of its tissues; (note that there might not be any damage).

It changes the animal’s physiology and behaviour to reduce or avoid the damage, to reduce the likelihood of its recurrence and to promote recovery.

Non-functional (non-useful) pain occurs when the intensity or duration of the experience is not appropriate for damage sustained (especially if none exists) and when physiological and behavioural responses are unsuccessful in alleviating it."

(Molony, 1997)

Sometimes, reluctance to go for a walk, jump into the car or on/ off furniture or window ledges (if we're talking about cats), play rough and tumble games or tolerate snuggling up on the couch- might mean they don't feel up to it or they would prefer peace and quiet instead.

Animals cannot articulate that they feel uncomfortable or would prefer not to be touched or lifted, so instead they communicate in the only ways they can, that they want space and ideally distance from the situation they are worried about. Sometimes that looks like fear, sometimes it looks like aggression, but it is coming from the same place- "I'm in pain right now or I was painful there before and I don't want to be painful again, so leave me alone!"

There are some fantastic resources available to help pet owners recognise pain in their companion animals and to help explain why it can be: unpredictable, variable, exaggerated or "temporarily forgotten" if the motivation to have fun or do something nice is strong enough.

You may find the following links helpful:

Animal Pain Awareness - IVAPM

Signs Of Pain - Cats Health and Advice | Cats Protection

How to Tell if a Dog Is in Pain | Signs & Symptoms Of Pain In Dogs (vets-now.com)

Pain recognition and its management in rabbits | Vet Times

Full article: Pain in birds: a review for veterinary nurses (tandfonline.com)

Pain Recognition and Management in Horses | News | Merck Equine (merck-animal-health-equine.com)

If you think, or if you've been told that your pet is in pain, do seek help from your veterinary surgeon right away- there are loads of things we can do to help. There are also qualified veterinary physiotherapists, hydrotherapists, rehabilitation practitioners and members of many other disciplines, relying on evidence- based medicine, licensed medications and recognised specialist techniques, to help support you and your pet to enjoy the best quality of life that we can give.

Behind Closed Doors...?

I am currently thinking about the difference between people's behaviour with dogs in public places, versus what goes on "behind closed doors." The legislation and provision of safeguards are vastly different, depending on where the dog is.

Where legislation is in place, we are still often relying on people "doing the right thing" as opposed to direct enforcement, because there just isn't enough resource put into enforcement currently.

So- we have laws that tell us what we should and shouldn't be doing. If enforcement isn't there, we are relying on people believing that something is the right or wrong thing to do, or peer support and/or judgement giving other people the courage to say "you shouldn't be doing that!"

If your on your own with an animal, or a child, you need that belief to be inbuilt or instilled, to protect those who are more vulnerable.

I remember learning about cognitive dissonance, when I started my PhD, and this idea that we all have our own invisible lines as to what we know to be both legal and acceptable behaviours, based on our knowledge, education and experiences. So what might be acceptable to one person, may not be to another.

I heard a solicitor this morning talking about " an enormous amount of money to be spent on a dog"- but, if that dog belonged to you, they were considered to be an integral part of your family and you felt a certain amount of money needed to be spent to safeguard their safety, health or happiness, then where would your limit be?

Many of my behaviour clients have wonderful relationships with their dogs at home, in their safe space and with the people, and/or other animals who make up that household. The trouble starts for them, when they leave the safety of the house and have to encounter people, dogs or situations, they are not familiar with. When you ask other people to put their dog on the lead, because your own dog is nervous, and they refuse, or tell you how great their dog is! When you warn people to be careful, that your dog is fearful and they stick their hand out to them anyway?

What about the dogs who are left in a crate or kennel, for long periods of time, doing practically nothing, while their owner is away from the house. How long is too long? Everyone's line is different, many animal charity's have different guidance on this too. For me- if a dog is distressed when left and unable to play/ chew/ eat and entertain themselves, for even half an hour- then that is half an hour too long for them!

These are life skills, we need to train puppies to carry out, just exactly the same as we train them to toilet outside, or to "sit"- I would argue that independence is more important than toilet etiquette and although sit might be easy to teach, there are way more important and potentially life saving skills like, "Stay" (before they run onto a road) or "Leave" as they are about to stuck into the Christmas choccies!

Legislation covers what happens in public places, theoretically. Keeping our dog on lead and under control, is hugely important, irrespective of where you are or what type of dog you own. We need more "dedicated" spaces where dogs can run off lead, exhibit normal exploratory, play and social behaviours, without providing any risk (physical or emotional) to other dogs, children, joggers, cyclists etc. no matter how well behaved and socialised the dogs are- the potential "victim" of exposure to an off lead, out of control dog has an unknown history, where previous emotional and/or physical traumas are often unknown, under- estimated and under- considered by the dog owning public.

Whether behind closed doors, or in a public place, we all need to be mindful of not only our legal responsibilities as dog owners, but also showing empathy and understanding for those, who do not know nor care how great our dog(s) are. The effects of trauma are very real, for both people and dogs, and for some, they can be life limiting and also lifelong.

As we plough on with our recommendations for updates to the Dog Control legislation in Ireland, it's worth being mindful of the full spectrum of impact dogs in society have, for those who choose to own them, and for all those who do not. Everyone deserves to be safe and respected, as far as we are able to influence that, both at home and outside of it. In the absence of 360 degree legal enforcement, we as a society need to be mindful and "mind each other" as my Irish family and colleagues have taught me!

Rearing, buying and selling dogs?!?

Over the past 16 years, my husband and I have cared for an ex-puppy farm, rescue puppy and also an ex- brood bitch. Their stories were quite different, their experiences on the commercial puppy rearing unit, may also have differed, but the outcome- needing a safe, forever home because the place they had come from was "less than ideal" remains the same.

Tara came to us, having been rescued by the RSPCA, from a large commercial unit, and I believe 97 dogs were seized that day. Tara was small for her breed, with "saddle back," dystrophic limbs, zero toilet training and a 100% aversion for people. We had to communicate with her by asking our other dogs to move in the direction we wanted- she would follow them, in panic. It took many years but she slowly learned to trust us and eat more normally, as opposed to gulping, as if the food would be taken away otherwise.

Buttons came to me as a 9 week old puppy (allegedly) who had bloody diarrhoea. I was asked to euthanase him. His new caregiver had met a "puppy dealer" at a motorway services and paid £250 for him- he went home and had bloody diarrhoea all over the floor and I was told, he would not have one more penny spent on him! I asked them to relinquish the pup so that I could treat him and rehome him. 10 years on he is still with us!

Estimates can be made on the number of breeding stock dogs currently kept and puppies produced, on commercial dog breeding establishment premises, based on the numbers inspected and the numbers on site during those inspections. This is however the tip of the iceberg really- we need to look at the welfare of all of the dogs, irrespective of age, sex or breeding status, currently living in DBE's; we need to look at animals retired out, once their use as breeding stock is over; we also need to look at every puppy bought, sold, returned or rescued- and consider the life- long impact of the time they spent there. This impact is most definitely physical, but the social, emotional and mental impact shouldn't be under-estimated too.

I speak to clients all the time, who start telling me the story of where and how they acquired their dog, with either "we definitely think it was a puppy farm" or "we definitely think it couldn't have been a puppy farm." There's two things to think about there- are the general public confident that they know what a "puppy farm" looks like? I think the answer to this in most cases is No! If it is a "commercial dog breeding establishment" do the public know how to differentiate a good one from a not so good one? The answer to this one is probably No, as well, but I am happy to accept 'probably not' and if not, then why not?

I hear all the time about the lengths people will go to, to present the ideal puppy and ideal breeding environment (with air B&B accommodation, stooge brood bitches and photos of random dogs used to depict the puppy's parents). If this is indeed going on, there is very little the authorities can do to stop them trying it. What we can do, is educate the new or potential dog owner, so that they know what to look for, and the questions they need to ask, before they commit the next 10-16 years, plus the emotional and financial investment required, for that puppy to join their lives and family.

Both of my brothers are wonderful salesmen- they always tell me, you have to be prepared to walk away, if the deal is either too good to be true or if it doesn't sit right in your gut!

If you ask to see both of the puppy's parents, then that option should be made available to you. Gestation only averages 63 days, and if you are considering a pup 6-10 weeks of age, we are only talking about a 3-4 month gap between mating and the sale of pups, so hopefully the male (sire) has not died or left the country in that time. If the female (dam) is housed on another site, or on the same site, but with no contact with her pups, ask why? Did she experience illness after the pregnancy/ delivery, were the pups weaned early because of lack of milk, was the bitch disinterested or even aggressive towards her pups? Mismothering- through either absence of, or negative behaviours from, the dam can result in serious health and emotional consequences for her puppies. The effects of which can be life- long!

Time spent with adult family members and siblings, from the same litter or previous litters, can have a positive impact on a puppy's early learning and socialisation experience. If they are on their own when you go to view them, you need to be satisfied that there is a good reason for this, and remember that lack of early socialisation with their dam and other puppies/ dogs can be really damaging later in life.

Health- if the pup is dirty, smelly, skinny, scurfy (dandruffy), with diarrhoea or stools around their bottom, or with conjunctivitis (white or green discharge at the corner of their eyes), then do think twice! Stressed puppies will have immune compromise and be at much higher risk of infectious diseases, reduced weight gain and poorer mental/ emotional development.

Too quiet or too noisy! Both can be damaging to healthy puppy development. If the location is remote, with limited human or vehicular traffic, the puppies are not being exposed to the routine sights/ sounds/ smells they will need to be robust living in a sub-urban or city environment. If it is noisy- with barking and mechanical ventilation, this can be damaging too, as the breeding stock and puppies will have disturbed sleep and reduced relaxation time, where they can switch off from being vigilant of noise/ people/ unexpected events, and focus of rest, play or learning.

Start- up information. Whether you are buying an item of clothing or a new electronic device, you expect to receive a receipt for your purchase. If you are asked to pay in cash- beware! If you are not given a receipt- beware! If you are not told that you should contact the breeder/seller if your puppy experiences any difficulties or issues for an agreed amount of time (we could debate this, but 28 days must be a minimum, and I would hope a reputable breeder would want to know, at any age, if one of their pus developed either a physical or behavioural problem which is likely to be acquired in utero or during early development (pre-sale) or as result of an inherited defect, to ensure they don't use the same breed paring again and monitor for any defects which benefit from current genetic testing or assurance schemes (e.g. for elbow or hip OCD).

If all of that goes well and you take a new puppy home. Those first few days and weeks are vital and the information your puppy is giving you, all of the time, can tell you alot about where they came from. Are they keen to eat; are they eliminating (urine/ faeces) without difficulty; are they curious about new people, places, noises etc. or are they fearful of particular things or everything! I can always tell if a puppy has had a bad experience, either with their first vaccination or when their microchip was implanted- I see them do a "tortoise shrink" where they pull their head and neck in and crouch into themselves, as soon as someone places a hand over the back of their neck. In this day in age- no puppy should ever have a bad experience when being vaccinated or microchipped- use of local anaesthetic creams, or numbing agents (e.g. Ethycalm 75 ml (Bottle) - Duggan Veterinary Supplies ) limit the pain from skin penetration and use of minimal restraint paired with positive distractions (praise, toys or food, depending on the individual puppy's preferences), should make this a stress free (or as close as possible) experience.

We need dog owners to do their homework and we need genuine transparency from those selling pups commercially, to ensure both puppies and their new caregivers get the best possible start for their new human: dog bond- with the greatest of expectations hopefully fulfilled! It can be done- commercial puppy rearing, though maybe not ideal, can be done really well, so lets get the basics right and hopefully the rest will follow. Next step is getting settled into their new home and lifestyle!

For more information on the science to back this up please read: Potential Benefits of a ‘Trauma-Informed Care’ Approach to Improve the Assessment and Management of Dogs Presented with Anxiety Disorders

Potential Benefits of a ‘Trauma-Informed Care’ Approach to Improve the Assessment and Management of Dogs Presented with Anxiety Disorders - PMC