Signs of Pain in Dogs and Cats: What to Look For and When to Act
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By Dr Duncan Houston
A dog that stops jumping onto the sofa or a cat that starts hiding may be uncomfortable, even without a yelp or an obvious injury. Pain often shows up as a change in everyday habits.
The useful question is what has changed for your animal, how suddenly it changed, and whether they can still breathe, move, eat and pass urine normally. Those details help separate an appointment to investigate ongoing discomfort from an emergency.
Quick Answer
Signs of pain in dogs and cats include stiffness, limping, difficulty settling, withdrawal, reduced appetite, altered grooming and reacting defensively to touch. These signs can also occur with other illnesses, so they need veterinary assessment rather than a diagnosis at home. Seek emergency care for severe distress, collapse, breathing difficulty, sudden loss of limb use, or straining with little or no urine. Keep your pet comfortable and do not give human painkillers or leftover medication without veterinary instructions.
What does pain look like in dogs?
Compare your dog's behaviour with their usual routine. Look for a combination of changes:
- Movement: stiffness after rest, favouring a leg, walking more slowly, avoiding stairs or struggling to get up.
- Rest and posture: repeated pacing, an arched back, an unusually low head position or difficulty finding a comfortable sleeping position.
- Interaction: withdrawing, becoming unusually clingy, or growling when someone approaches or touches them.
- Daily habits: eating less, licking one area repeatedly, disturbed sleep or panting while resting in a cool room.
These are clues, not a pain score. Their significance depends on the context and examination. Cornell's guidance on recognising canine pain explains why changes observed at home are valuable.
What does pain look like in cats?
Watch how your cat performs familiar activities. A cat may stop using a high resting spot, hesitate before jumping, take several smaller jumps or play less. Changes that develop gradually can be easy to attribute to age.
Also note reduced grooming, a tense resting posture, hiding, irritability during handling or difficulty entering the litter tray. These do not all mean arthritis, but they warrant investigation. The AAHA guidance on chronic pain in cats emphasises owner observations because a brief clinic visit may not reveal the same difficulties.
Repeated litter-tray visits with straining and little or no urine are an emergency. Do not assume your cat is constipated, especially if male.
How urgently does your pet need help?
| Level of concern | What you notice | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing concern | Gradual stiffness or reduced activity, while otherwise comfortable, eating and toileting normally. | Contact your vet to arrange the next suitable appointment. Record the changes; do not wait for obvious distress. |
| Urgent | A new painful limp, refusing food with discomfort, persistent restlessness, a painful eye or a clear change after surgery. | Call your vet today for assessment and triage. Escalate immediately if pain is severe or your pet deteriorates. |
| Emergency | Collapse, difficulty breathing, inability to use a limb suddenly, severe unrelenting pain, or inability to pass urine. | Contact an emergency clinic and go now. Do not wait overnight or for an online reply. |
This table helps with urgency; it cannot measure how much pain an animal feels. A quiet pet can still need urgent treatment.
What might be causing the discomfort?
The pattern helps a vet choose what to examine, but signs overlap:
- Difficulty moving: joint disease, soft-tissue injury, a damaged nail or paw, and spinal problems are possibilities. A sudden change needs different investigation from months of gradually worsening stiffness.
- Changes around eating: dental disease or mouth injury may cause discomfort, while nausea and other illnesses can reduce appetite without an obvious mouth problem.
- A tense abdomen, vomiting or restlessness: digestive inflammation, pancreatitis or an intestinal obstruction may be involved. A swollen abdomen with unsuccessful retching in a dog raises concern for bloat.
- Changes in toileting: bladder inflammation, stones or an obstruction can cause pain. In cats, joint pain can also make entering a tray difficult.
- Withdrawal or irritability: pain, fear, environmental stress and other medical conditions can look similar. A new behaviour should not automatically be treated as a training problem.
Young animals can have painful disease too. In older pets, reduced activity should prompt a health check rather than an assumption that discomfort is inevitable. AAHA's pain assessment principles highlight the importance of both age and behavioural context.
When is pain an emergency?
Seek emergency veterinary care now for any of the following:
- Difficulty breathing, collapse or profound weakness.
- Sudden inability to stand or use one or more legs.
- Severe distress, repeated crying out or inability to settle because of pain.
- A serious accident, suspected fracture, deep wound or significant bleeding.
- Repeated straining with little or no urine, in a dog or cat.
- A swollen abdomen with repeated attempts to vomit that produce little or nothing, particularly in a dog.
Cornell's emergency warning signs explain why sudden functional changes require prompt assessment. Urinary obstruction in cats and gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs can deteriorate rapidly. Home observation is not an appropriate substitute for treatment.
What should you do while arranging care?
- Reduce demands. Stop exercise and give your pet a quiet, comfortable area. Prevent jumping and stairs if movement hurts.
- Handle gently. Do not repeatedly press a sore area, stretch a limb or force your pet to walk to demonstrate the problem. Keep children away from a distressed animal and ask the clinic for transport advice if moving them is difficult.
- Record useful details. Note when the change began, recent injury or surgery, appetite, toileting and all medicines already given. A short video of spontaneous movement can help, provided taking it does not delay care.
- Follow the agreed plan. Give only medication prescribed for this pet at the instructed dose. Contact the treating clinic if pain is increasing or relief is inadequate; do not double a dose yourself.
Do not give ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin or paracetamol as a home pain treatment. Human medicines can cause serious harm, and paracetamol is particularly dangerous to cats. If any has already been given or swallowed accidentally, contact a vet immediately with the product, strength, amount and time. The FDA explains why pain medicines cannot be shared between people and pets.
How will a vet assess and treat pain?
Your vet combines the history, observations and physical examination to locate a likely source. Depending on the findings, dental assessment, blood or urine tests, X-rays or other imaging may be needed. A symptom such as limping does not identify the injured structure by itself.
Treatment addresses the cause and the discomfort. It may include prescription pain relief, treatment of an injury or dental problem, surgery when necessary, and adjustments to activity or the home environment. The AAHA pain management guidelines support individual plans that combine appropriate approaches and reassessment.
For ongoing pain, choose a few everyday activities to track, such as rising from bed, settling at night or reaching a favourite resting place. Your vet may use a validated questionnaire to compare these over time. Consistent owner assessments are more useful than a vague judgement that a pet seems better.
If a pet taking a prescribed anti-inflammatory develops vomiting, diarrhoea, black stools or reduced appetite, stop that medicine and contact the vet promptly. Do not add another anti-inflammatory or a steroid. See the FDA's advice on recognising NSAID side effects.
Common mistakes that delay relief
- Waiting for crying before accepting that a pet may hurt.
- Assuming slowing down is simply old age.
- Punishing growling, hiding or litter-tray accidents without checking for illness.
- Testing a sore joint repeatedly or exercising a pet to see whether they improve.
- Using another animal's medicine or adding extra doses when the prescribed plan is not working.
How can you support long-term comfort?
Once the cause is known, keep follow-up appointments and agree on suitable exercise with your vet. Maintain a healthy body condition, provide secure footing and make beds, food, water and litter trays easy to reach. Rehabilitation may help selected patients; the plan should match the diagnosis. AAHA's guidance on non-drug pain management discusses weight and rehabilitation alongside medication.
Keep routines predictable, offer gentle enrichment that your pet can manage comfortably, and allow quiet rest. Introduce changes gradually. These measures support comfort but do not replace treatment for active pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my pet be in pain without crying?
Yes. Pain may appear as altered movement, sleep or social behaviour. The absence of vocalisation does not rule it out.
Does a limp always mean arthritis?
No. Paw injuries, damaged nails, soft-tissue injuries and other problems can cause limping. Sudden lameness, severe pain or inability to use a leg needs prompt assessment.
Should I wait overnight if my cat keeps straining?
No. Repeated attempts with little or no urine can mean a urinary blockage. Seek emergency care immediately, even if you are unsure whether the straining is to urinate or defecate.
Can I give an extra dose if the pain medicine is not helping?
No. Contact the prescribing vet for advice. Worsening pain may require reassessment, and increasing a dose can cause harm.
Will my pet recover?
The outlook depends on the cause. Some injuries or dental problems can be resolved with treatment, while conditions such as arthritis usually need ongoing management. The aim is comfortable daily function, with regular checks that the plan is working.
You do not need to prove that your pet is in pain before asking for help. Describe the changes you have noticed, act immediately on emergency signs, and work with your vet to restore comfort.
For practical information to help you understand changes in your pet's health, visit ASK A VET™. If your pet has severe pain or an emergency warning sign, contact a veterinary clinic directly.
