An animal lovers pet is like their children. They love them as though they were babies and when their pet is sick, they feel bad for them and try to help the pet as best they can. However, when the animal is in pain, it can be hard to tell. In the wild, animals hide their pain from the pack and from predators. It can usually mean the difference between life and death. A lot of people mistake the actions that an animal makes when it is in pain as bad behavior. Most of the time, when a pet chews on things, or goes to the bathroom in the house when they are usually really good about going outside, it means that the pet is not feeling good, or is in pain.
If an animal shows pain in the wild, whether it be to its pack only, or just showing pain in general, the animal will be killed. Pain is a sign of weakness in the animal kingdom and an animal in pain will become a target for both predators and their own pack, or rival pack leaders. A predator sees a weak animal as a slow moving target that will be easy to catch. A pack or rival pack will see an animal in pain as a weak link and will kill the animal to establish its position. Some animals will kill their own pack members if they show pain as it is possible that the animal in pain will slow the herd or pack down and make it susceptible to predator attacks. For this reason, the domesticated animal has learned through genetics to hide its pain. However, there are signs that give away the pets pain.
If your pet has an issue with its teeth or a mouth tumor, it will show specific signs. Among the signs is strange habits when chewing. These are things the pet doesn t usually do. For instance, if the pet drops its food while trying to chew it or favors one side of the mouth while chewing, the pets mouth may be hurting. Other signs of dental disorders or oral tumors are bad breath, weight loss, and rubbing the face excessively. See a veterinarian for routine dental checkups and cleanings to help prevent and to treat dental problems.
Drastic weight fluctuations can be a sign of different kinds of pain. Pain can cause your pets eating habits to change. For example, arthritis and muscle soreness can cause your pet to not want to try and access their food. For the pet, bending down can be uncomfortable and even painful. Your pet will also gain weight due to arthritis pain. The eating habits will not change, but the pet will not want to exercise as much. If your pet is avoiding affection, or any kind of handling, this can be a sign that your pet is in pain. Pets will sometimes hide to minimize the amount of touching so that it can avoid pain. They will also stay stationary and avoid movement if at all possible. This can be a sign of major joint and muscle pain, such as osteoarthritis and joint disease. If your pet is overweight, that can attribute to many different causes of pain, including torn ligaments and damaged joints. Pet accidents can also be caused by pain, especially if the animal wants to avoid painful obstacles such as stairs.
Pets cannot speak for themselves. It is up to the owner to be able to decipher the clues and figure out what is wrong with their loved pets. Once you know what is causing the issues, you can work towards correcting them. Regular visits to a veterinarian can help prevent a lot of the problems that occur with your pets.
Author Resource:
This article was written by Kelly Marshall of http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com/ Oh My Dog Supplies - your online dog supplies site for http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com/dog-supplies/collars/ dog collars and leashes.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")