How do you know if your boxer is in pain? After my boxer went through a surgery, my veterinarian asked me to monitor her very closely for signs of pain or discomfort. When I asked, “how will I know if she is in pain?” He replied, “she will act out of character.” My first thought was I know my girl, so that shouldn’t be too hard. While I monitored her closely, I realized it was hard to tell and remembered that dogs usually hide pain (because it is a sign of weakness).
So, I Googled “how to tell when a dog is in pain.” I came across very little valuable information. However, I did find a pdf from the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) that I felt was helpful.
The article indicated 9 areas with examples to monitor for pain:
- Vocalization
- Activity Level
- Self-Protection
- Daily Habits
- Facial Expressions
- Aggressiveness
- Self-Mutilation
- Grooming
- Posture
After doing a little reading, and in combination with knowing my boxer, I realized I knew exactly what the veterinarian meant. Of course, like people – every boxer is unique and handles pain differently. For my girl, she was panting, pacing and/or standing still staring.
Did you find the telltale sign that your boxer was in pain? If so, what did they do? Email us at [email protected]
When we first got our boxer puppy, we took her to the lake where she first learned to swim and drink LOTS of lake water. A few days after getting back from the lake, we noticed that Lily was having trouble going to the bathroom and she slept WAY more than usual. Finally, after watching her for a few days, we brought her into the vet, and the vet said she had TWO different parasites! The vet was actually surprised we noticed anything because Lily’s appetite was the same, but her bathroom and sleeping patterns were off. Luckily after 8 days of antibiotics, Lily Noelle was back to her normal self.