How do I know if I need to bring my dog to the veterinarian for pain?

Every dog and cat should be examined at a minimum once a year. And once pets get to about six or seven years old, they should be coming in twice a year. Again, dental pain is the most common pain that we do see that pets are living with. And if you've ever had a sore tooth yourself, you know that is no fun. And there are things we can do to help with that. If they're abscessed, we want to remove that because that's a chronic source of infection and pain. Your dog may have chronic arthritic changes, back pain, neck pain, and even skin infections, earaches, and ear infections can be painful.

Regular wellness exams help us determine pain, but if things are just not quite right in between those appointments and the dog is showing some odd symptoms, then bring them in, and we will help you determine the best course of treatment and care for them.

If you felt like you notice any of those symptoms or if your pet seems off, we would recommend having them checked out. We're big proponents of pain management here at Advanced Animal Care, and we want to make sure everybody stays comfortable. If you feel like there's anything that's not right, I would make a call and have them seen.

If you see any of the things that we just talked about, get them in. Would you want to walk around hurting if you didn't have to? No, of course not.It’s same thing with a dog. If you see any of those signs, get the dog looked at. You don't know whether anything needs to be done or can be done, but you should let your veterinarian decide that. If you don't take them in then, you're pretty much answering that question for your pet, and it's not fair to them. Get them in, get them looked at, and you and your veterinarian can come up with a game plan, what works best, and what's available to you.

If your dog is exhibiting any abnormal behaviors that you're unsure about, you should come in. If you touch your dog and it cries, if it starts limping, if its appetite decreases, those are some signs that perhaps we need a trip to the doctor to see if your dog is in pain or maybe there's something else happening with it.