Pain and why we should be advocates for our animals

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In this week's blog, we discuss all things pain! As owners, we all hate to imagine our beloved pets in pain, and the vast majority of owners would also do anything they can to ensure that their animal is happy and healthy. However, the signs of pain in our pets are so commonly overlooked and left for prolonged periods. So let's take the time to educate ourselves on something new, understand pain, and why we should always be advocates for our own animals.

What is pain?

The definition of human pain set out by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) is as follows:

"An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with actual or potential tissue damage."

Pain is generated when a stimulus (usually painful) activates the peripheral terminals of the nociceptors (sensory receptors). The painful stimulus travels through the A-delta and C fibres, they enter the spinal cord, finally reaching the medulla, midbrain, and thalamus where the perception of pain is generated based on the information provided by the nociceptors. Therefore, nociception and pain are NOT the same thing. Pain is simply the product of processing within the brain centre, and nociception can continue even in the absence of pain.

Human pain can be beneficial in understanding the concept of pain and it is likely that animal pain serves a similar purpose and is equally as important to the animal. However, responses to pain will likely not be identical. The definition of animal pain is set out as follows:

"An aversive sensory experience caused by actual or potential injury that elicits protective motor and vegetative reactions, results in learned avoidance and may modify species-specific behaviour, including social behaviour (Zimmerman, 1986)."

It's also important to consider and respect that in human and non-human animals, pain is entirely a personal experience that can be influenced by several other factors including external, psychological, and physical differences. Pain is vital for the survival of an individual, it's an adaptive protection mechanism used to recognise when an individual may be in danger. Despite this, pain can also have adverse effects on an animal's functional, social, and psychological well-being.

The different types of pain are as follows:

• Somatic pain: pain originating from the body including the skin, muscles, joints, bones, and other tissues.

• Visceral pain: pain originating from the internal organs when they are inflamed, injured, diseased, or damaged.

• Neuropathic pain: pain originating from the nerves, spinal cord and brain due to damage or disease to the nervous system.

• Acute: pain that immediately follows injury or damage. It happens suddenly and can be sharp and intense in nature.

• Chronic: pain that is prolonged or persistent. It's generally believed to last longer than the expected healing time frame and can stop acting in a direct response to an injury or illness. This type of pain can be associated with progressive diseases such as osteoarthritis.

The problem with recognising pain

The signs of pain in our animals are frequently unnoticed or ignored. A high percentage of pet owners struggle to comprehend pain within their own animals. We commonly hear statements like "He's got a limp, but he's not in pain", "She's always stiff in the morning, that's normal for her", or "He's misbehaving because he's just being cheeky", or "But he's still excited to go for walks or be ridden so he can't be in pain, I always see him running around". Perhaps because the signs of pain are not obvious to us, we are unable to empathise with our pets, or we fail to recognise species-specific behaviour for what it is and instead give our animals complex human-like qualities and emotions.

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Pain is a STRESSOR to our pets, so why do we continue to skip over symptoms, ignore, or prolong the suffering? It's possible that admitting to our animal being in pain is difficult, or that a financial worry is in the back of someone's mind. However, why should we continue to put our feelings first when the priority should always be the animal that is under our care, and the one who might be experiencing pain? As animal owners, it is both our moral and legal duty to protect our animals from pain and illness.

However, owners are also rarely educated on the subtle signs of pain and in some cases, especially when chronic pain has been compensated for over a long period of time, only a trained eye, such as a veterinarian or a physiotherapist can notice these subtle signs. Animals do have a tendency to hide their pain as an old-age survival instinct. Therefore, even small changes in behaviour or function can mean that they are experiencing pain.

Why we should always be advocates for our pets

When we are in pain, often we'll choose to take some medicine, and if it doesn't clear up we can go to the doctor or a specialist. But what about when your pet is in pain? Your animal cannot choose to pursue these options, in fact, their options are limited. But we as the owners do have a choice whether we ignore their pain or pursue pain relief for them. We must choose to ALWAYS pursue pain relief for them. We do not know their personal experience of the pain, therefore why should we assume that it is not worthy of relief? Not every owner is an expert, and that is okay. But changes in behaviour or function should be brought up to your vet and regular physiotherapy sessions can help to prevent future pain or enable recognition of the subtle signs early so that prolonged suffering does not occur.

If you have any questions or feel that your animal may benefit from a physiotherapy session please don't hesitate to get in contact with us:

Tel: 07527 310689

Email: info@arcvetphysio.co.uk

Facebook: ARC Veterinary Physiotherapy

Instagram: @arcvetphysio

References:

Zimmerman, M (1986). "Physiological mechanisms of pain and its treatment". Klinische Anaesthesiol Intensivether. 32: 1–19.