You are absolutely right – some dogs really do know how to hide pain! Here are some signs: slow to get up, starting to get a bit grumpy if touched a certain way, a tinge of blue or purple color on the tongue, an incomplete shake. The first two are pretty simple to understand – painful hips will move slowly first thing in the morning. Similarly, aches and pains make the body more sensitive to touch, any touch can make pain worse thus bring on a bit of grumpiness. That blue/purple color is a sign of what’s called “stagnation” – it means the body’s energy (Qi) isn’t moving like it should be. Purple tongue means something somewhere hurts whether in the belly or in the neck. The last sign mentioned, an incomplete shake, is a fun tool. Watch your dog when he gets up in the morning – he should stretch, maybe scratch a little then get up and shake from head to tail. As the owner, you can see the shake travel from one end to the other. If the shake stops somewhere, or skips a spot, that’s where there is some pain.
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Dr. Cathy isn't just a pet lover and veterinarian. She's a published author, sought after pet health expert for the media, and a passionate and practical voice for pet owners everywhere.
Now retired, Dr. Cathy is proud to have built a successful veterinary practice as one of the few veterinarians that offered both traditional veterinary care and alternative medicine options.
Hi, my 9 yr GSD has Pannus on one eye. Her diet consists of chicken frames, mutton and beef bones with the odd dog buiscut. Supplements of glucosamine, tumeric, green lipped mussel ( She has arthritis) How do I find her ” trigger”
We will be starting on eye drops on Monday but would love to know if it could be managed or resolved with her diet.
Many thanks Eve
It’s hard to know what your trigger is. It could be the odd biscuit contains the grain that triggers this; it did for the German Shepherd I spoke about in a different blog. It could be that the chicken in the mutton are very warming meets. And it’s possible that your dog is allergic to beef, as of been triggered by a tick bite, as I’ve discussed in another blog. And pannus is slow to resolve. My impression would be to change to cooler meats like turkey and duck. Instead of the odd biscuit, used jerky. Make sure your supplements do not contain Brewers yeast or rice or any other grain additive.