If your puppy is experiencing pain, it may not be easy to notice since dog symptoms don’t appear as you would anticipate. According to Forbes, how your puppy depicts pain depends on the severity of an injury or sickness. You might want to consider a back brace for dogs and other steps to help alleviate the pain.
For instance, your little friend will react differently to a painful cut on the paw pad than to an ear infection. Therefore, it’s important to understand the cause of pain to find the most effective way to help your puppy when in pain.
So, what signs and symptoms do you watch out for to know if your puppy is in pain? The most common sign of pain is your puppy’s vocalization when you touch a painful part. Also, your pup will yelp, whimper, or cry in addition to avoiding contact and holding up an injured leg. So, in which ways can you assist your pup if they’re experiencing pain?
Here are five tips to help your puppy if they’re in pain.
1. Physically Exercising and Rehabilitating Your Pup
If your puppy is in pain due to an injury, physical exercise and rehabilitation are great ways to help them relieve the pain. The most effective physical rehabilitation often consists of underwater treadmill exercises, muscle stimulation, and directed workouts.
However, always seek advice from your veterinarian before taking your pup through any physical exercises for rehabilitation. Common exercises for your puppy’s pain management include swimming and leashed walks.
2. Administer Pain Management Supplements
There are several natural pet supplements, including glucosamine, colostrum, and chondroitin, that you can administer to your pup to ease joint pain. You can administer these supplements in the form of food additives, pills, treats, and liquids. They help stimulate joint function and repair while lowering inflammation and alleviating the pain your puppy might be experiencing.
Supplements, especially natural ones, are the best for the long-term management of your puppy’s body pain as they have minimal if not zero side effects. However, supplements, especially over-the-counter ones, are not regulated. Therefore, it’s paramount that you get advice from your veterinarian to determine the right dosage and the most suitable supplement to administer to your puppy.
3. Take Your Pup for Surgery
Not all pains your pup experiences can be managed using supplements or physical rehabilitation. There are persistent pains that can only be alleviated using surgical procedures. If over-the-counter medication and support are not enough for your furry friend, do not hesitate to take them to their Vet or an emergency pet clinic for a professional diagnosis.
Nevertheless, before you opt for a surgical procedure to relieve your puppy’s pain, you should understand the risks that come with surgery. For example, your pup may take longer than you anticipate to heal, and the procedure can be expensive.
Even so, if your pup is having pain resulting from knee caps, a surgical procedure is the most suitable way to alleviate the pain. All in all, make sure you seek advice from your veterinarian before opting to take your pup for surgery to ease the pain.
4. Make Traction Where Your Pup Walks and Plays
Sometimes it’s good to prevent what can lead to injuries, causing pain to your pup. In particular, if your home consists of hardwood floors or high-gloss floor finishes, it can be challenging for your pup to get a grip.
In such cases, it’s advisable to create traction for your puppy to walk and play by placing carpet tiles or yoga mats on your floors. You can also train your pup to rest on the mats so that they become more familiar with their texture. By doing so, you’ll establish a textured floor surface for your puppy to play and walk freely without slipping.
In addition, it might be prudent for you to buy a back brace for dogs for your puppy to be assisted in stabilizing its spinal cord while playing.
5. Assist Your Pup to Lose Weight
According to Forbes, a poor diet can make your pup obese, a condition that is closely linked to joint pain, arthritis, and other severe health problems. Research demonstrates that pets experiencing joint pain have significant recovery after cutting weight. Therefore, if you can adjust your puppy’s diet, you can help them manage pain and recover fully in the end.
Final Word
Seeing your pup suffer from the pain they experience is devastating. Luckily, your puppy doesn’t need to go through such an experience. A back brace for dogs will help them tremendously. Using these five tips, you can help your pup manage pain and eventually recover from it. Nevertheless, ensure you always seek advice from your veterinarian before adopting any of these strategies.
