Count me in as one of the lucky members of the migraine club. Now, I have it a lot better than many- mine hit infrequently, and usually last a day or less. I know for many it is so debilitating that they lose several days when one occurs, lost in a blinding sea of pain and nausea. I had one that bad in my adult life, when I was in New England for a family event. I had forgotten how bad they could be, unaware that something in the swampy Massachusetts air was a trigger.
My father- he’s the one to blame for that gene- and I both wound up holed up in a darkened, chilled bedroom like sides of beef left to cure, me pushing the limits of therapeutic index of Excedrin ingestion while he dialed his doctor back in California trying to score some Imitrex.
Much like the leprosy-afflicted were left to fend for themselves on the shores of Molokai, none ventured in to the clan of the hibernating cave bears. No one wanted to deal with us. When I could bear to stand long enough to crawl over to the door, I might find a glass of water left outside, a sandwich, some basic sustenance, but that was about it.
When at last I the wave had passed and I could walk outside without being blinded with pain, I practically oozed into a chair on the lawn, reveling in the relief that was simply not being in pain. I held my family members no ill will for abandoning me to my fate. There wasn’t much anyone could do, and to wander into my sphere was generally an invitation to be verbally abused as the simple act of opening a door might let in an errant beam of light or make a 50 decibel creaking noise that thundered into my orbits like the hammer of Thor.
My point is, pain is ugly. Headaches are ugly. When I have one coming on, my family tends to make themselves scarce, because- and I admit it- I’m not super pleasant to be around. It’s pretty obvious I am not in a good mood.
Now, we know pets also experience pain. They probably get headaches when their sinuses are all inflamed from allergies, just like we do. Since so many people leave them with mouths full of diseased teeth, a lot of dogs and cats are walking around with painful mouths, sometimes so bad that the infection can eat straight through the bone and cause an oronasal fistula. I can barely function when I get a brain freeze. I can’t imagine functioning with that kind of pain every day.
And yet the vast majority of animals suffer with pain quite stoically. A watchful owner will pick up on a listless pet, one whose appetite is diminished, maybe a dog a little slow on the stairs. Sometimes it’s translated as a pet that’s a little more grumpy than usual. In extreme situations- pets hit by cars, or those recovering from major surgeries- the signs of pain are clear and unmistakable. The rest of the time, though, it can be easier to miss.
This is important to remember. Pets, unlike people, aren’t wussies.
We tend to evaluate our pets as if they were people. “Eh, he’s just slowing down” is a refrain vets hear at least ten times a day from owners who don’t think their dog’s subtle signs of lameness are worth a workup. Many times, that workup will turn up arthritic changes that, if it were one of us experiencing them, would have us slugging down Joint Juice, slapping knee braces on our tired joints, and smoking out the house with Icy Hot.
Another example: a dog with a subtle limp presented for an exam. The owner thought maybe she had bumped her thigh on a piece of furniture because she seemed uncomfortable when it was touched. Unfortunately, she had a tumor on her femur that had almost eaten through the entire bone by the time we found it. Osteosarcomas are known to cause an excruciating pain, and here is this dog, who just winced a little.
I think about those pets often when I’m laid up with a headache, and I made myself promise to remind all of you the way my own body reminded me that pain stinks. We are so fortunate to be in a place and time where there are many good pain control options for pets, but you have to know to be looking for the pain to begin with and bring it up with the vet. Because god bless them, pets are much nicer than we are when pain is involved.
Pain management, not just the medications available but the recognition that we need to do a better job identifying and managing pain in pets, is one area of veterinary medicine that seems to have progressed with leaps and bounds since I graduated, and for that, I am so very grateful.
Have your pets ever surprised you with subtle signs of discomfort? Any surprising outcomes?
Our shar pei Kaylee is on a ton of medications and while they have kept her alive and happy far longer than expected, they have left her with a compromised immune system. She often gets UTIs (because if it’s raining, there is NO WAY she is going out into the demon water, she’ll just hold it, thankyouverymuch), but she usually lets us know by demanding to go out every 15 minutes and we just fill her prescription and she’s OK.
This last time, though, she gave us no hints anything was wrong until she just wouldn’t sleep for 24 HOURS. She’s 10 years old and her favorite thing in the whole world is to sleep, so this was very weird.
After the blood tests, the urinalysis I asked for on a hunch came back with a big ol’ positive and after 8 hours on antibiotics, she slept like a log. Scary to think how bad it must have been if she couldn’t sleep at all though!
After all the dogs we have had over the years, I can only hope that we have not let one of our dear friends suffer, but this article certainly makes the phrase “you’ll know when it’s time” seem like a lame excuse to assuage OUR pain of knowing we will loose them soon. Much needed post, Dr. V – Thanks!
I’m always amazed at what dogs hide. How they put on a brave face and power through the pain. You know how my story ended when it started with what we thought was simple arthritis. And even with Cookie recently, maybe it was just a small sprain but ended up being a small fracture instead (guess she really wanted to be just like me so we would both be taken care of while nursing broken bones). I’m hyper-aware now though and probably over-react but would rather catch something early than be surprised.
Wow! Talk about timing. I rushed our hospice pug Jake to the vet this morning when he layed in his bed and just repeatedly whimpered in a strange tone. I noticed some of the subtle “I’m not comfortable” signs yesterday and set up an am appointment for Monday. This morning I realized it had multiplied overnight and just met them at the door as they opened. I pray it’s not too serious.
Megan, I hope Jake feels much better!
I too get migraines and understand the aweful truth behind them, so I can empathise with you. Thank you for posting on the subject and reminding me to bug my vet as to why there was no follow up on my kitties medicine check and teeth cleaning!!!
Our Newf hides pain super well, until he just can’t anymore. For almost a whole year, he’d limp occasionally though he’d get an adrenalin burst at the office and the limp would vanish. We tested him for lyme, the doctors moved his legs this way and that and he never made a peep. It was always “rest and rimadyl” for a few days. It wasn’t until he was at the part and put the speed on that the toe-touching started and *that* he couldn’t hide. A couple weeks later he had a lateral suture done to repair the cruciate in his left hind leg.
Now I can at least better identify when it’s bothering him and nip it in the bud before it gets too bad. The part that blows my mind though is that *he* still wants to run and chase our other pup despite his leg clearly bothering him…
I wish there were better/safer pain medications for cats. My 16yo has arthritis, and every now and then he’ll have a flare that leaves him 3-legged lame for 12 hours, then he’s perfectly fine. It’s brutal to see him suffer for those first 3 hours. 🙁
It’s certainly not a magic bullet, per se, but have you ever tried Adequan? I do feel it really helps in some of my patients. Just something you might bring up with your vet if you aren’t already trying it. 🙂
You might also inquire about acupuncture or laser therapy. My sweet angel had severe arthritis, and acupuncture helped her a lot. We also used glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, pain meds, etc.
Just thought to check back– thanks to Dr. Sarah and Tamara. I’d love to try Adequan, and may at some point, but I’m struggling to put food on the table, so it’s not an option right now. I do use Cosequin, but don’t find it particularly effective for this cat.
Wow, that hit home! Shaq, my heart dog, had arthritis for quite some time and was on rimadyl, but it got to a point where he still had a slight limp at times, even while on the medication. So I took him in for his routine exam and dental and told the vet to just x-ray that leg one more time while he was under for his dental. Just like you said, osteosarcoma. And it took him away just a month later. So, yes, quite a surprising outcome from subtle discomfort!
Also filed under the “can’t be too safe” category, I noticed a tiny bump the size of a pencil eraser on Shaq’s side years earlier and took him in to have it looked at. It couldn’t have been there more than a few days because I loved on that dog constantly and would have noticed it. It was a mast cell tumor, and we had it removed the very next day. Early detection (and treatment) gave me 10 more happy and healthy years with him!
Yeah, when Bailey’s slight stiffness in her back end multiplied over several days (following two surgeries for a mast cell tumor just below the base of her tail — I can’t imagine). I had just noticed it on a Tuesday/Wednesday, mentioned it to the vet on Thursday when she got her stitches out. He thought it was probably because she had arthritis and hadn’t been moving around much because of the surgeries. Within a week she couldn’t walk more than a couple of steps and she died on the following Saturday, a week and a half after I first noticed it. To this day no one knows what killed her. I am even more hyper-aware of things now than I was then, and I can’t imagine EVER thinking that some issue one of my babies was having wouldn’t be worth a workup. If it’s enough for me to notice, it’s enough for a vet to look at!
Felix is incredibly stoic when it comes to pain & discomfort, where Koly lets me know if something is even a little wrong. I like to think I’m pretty in tune with both my boys though. Something was a little “off” with Felix last week, but I couldn’t quite put my thumb on it. My poor little guy had a fever! He’s all better now.
Hi Y’all,
I know my Humans read my pain signals and I get massage as well as vet visits.
We were recently disappointed when my favorite vet sent me off without resolving the problem…just gave me a little relief. Lucky me, my Humans realized that I was suffering and set about giving me temporary relief until they could get me to a hospital that had treated the problem previously.
My Human usually recognizes when I’m not feeling well and tries to keep me quiet. She doesnt ask me to do any training, just letting me do what I feel like doing.
By the way, she gets migraines too. She’s also had horses with bad sinus problems…one had an extra hole drilled in her face to drain a sinus.
Y’all come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDog