The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (74 page)

Now, let’s look at your dog’s cancer from your dog’s point of view. Does he worry about dying? ...about pain control? ...about you? ...about money? ...about eating well? ...about whether a treatment will work? The answer to all of these questions is: no. Dogs do not blame or judge us. Their opinion of us, their love for us, is not based on how much money is in the bank, how much we spend on their treatments or whether we make mistakes. They don’t worry about the future – they have more immediate problems. When a dog is in pain from surgery, he just wants the pain to stop – he doesn’t worry that it won’t get better later.

Keeping this in mind can really help you to evaluate whether you are taking on a treatment or pursuing a particular course of action for yourself, or on behalf of your dog. As your dog’s guardian, it is extremely important to examine your responsibility and anchor yourself to doing the best you can with what you have. Sometimes that will mean pursuing a treatment that is likely to help, and at other times it will mean stopping something that isn’t working. Keeping this exercise in mind can help you a great deal as you analyze your dog’s cancer case.

““Home cooked meals seemed like a labor intensive tasks until we had a cancer diagnosis to fight. It is now so easy - all the dogs get cooked chicken or lean beef at every meal as the main ingredient, along with loads of cooked broccoli. Krill oil supplements add the highest quality omega-3s we can give. They love their diet; there is never any food left in the bowl.”

- Susan Harper, High Wycombe, England

T
here is no doubt that pain feels bad and blocks your dog from experiencing many of her joys of life. Your concern about your dog’s pain is real and valid, so I’m going to cover it in some detail.

My personality type makes me particularly sensitive to quality of life issues, and pain management is a top priority. Most vets and oncologists share this sensitivity, although, every once in a while, I hear about a veterinary professional who does not take pain management seriously. I recommend making a point of addressing the topic of pain with your own vet. To do that, you need to have some background information. Let’s start by describing how a dog in pain behaves, as a “reality check”.

A pain-free dog is generally content, relaxed, playful, affectionate and engaged in enjoyable activities. How much affection, playfulness and engagement are shown depends upon the dog – some are love bugs with lots of energy, while others are more reserved in their affection and less enthusiastically athletic. You likely know your dog well enough to know what is normal for her.

A dog in pain, on the other hand, can seem withdrawn, listless and tense when handled, particularly if the pain is chronic. More sudden or acute, “sharp” pain, usually elicits the expected response: vocalization, flinching, licking or pawing at the area or limping.

This is one of the hardest questions to answer, because it is so difficult to truly know and understand our dog’s experience.

Dogs have a nervous system that works the same way ours does, so it is logical to think they feel pain.

It’s not logical to assume your dog feels or thinks about his pain the same way you feel or think about your pain, however. It’s also not logical to think your dog ascribes the same meaning to pain that you do.

It’s hard enough for us to understand what another human is feeling, let alone our dogs. Let’s take the common example of a headache. Some people can have a headache and go about their day as if nothing were wrong. They can sit in a meeting with a splitting headache, while no one else has a clue they are in pain. Others, with a similar pain, simply cannot ignore it: they moan, tell everyone else about it or go home, to ease the pain.

Some Guardians assume that if a dog is hurt, he will yowl or whine or yelp. This isn’t true for dogs any more than it is for humans. While barking or vocalizing can be a sign of pain, it does not mean there is pain. By the same token, a lack of whining or yelping does not mean there is no pain.

The best approach is to assume that your dog has some level of pain, if there is injury or tissue irritation. Not every tumor causes pain – in fact, some cause no pain at all, especially in the early stages. Just because your dog has cancer, does not mean that he is in pain, but he could be and, if he is, you want to know it. There are several signs to look for.

Please note that while all of these signs are consistent with pain, none points to pain, specifically; other issues may also cause these signs:

• Limping:
  Dogs only limp when it hurts to bear weight on a limb. Limping is a reliable sign of pain.
  
• Resistance to using the affected area:
  When your dog is not using a part of her body, she may be experiencing pain. For example, if she suddenly holds her tail down, it may mean her tail is painful.
  
• Bunny-hopping:
  When either both hips or both knees are painful, her gait can look like a bunny hop, with both hind limbs advancing at the same time.
  
• Resistance to manipulation:
  When you touch the area that seems to be painful, for example by manipulating a joint, your dog may quickly look back at you or pull away. It’s the same way you might react if you had sunburn on your shoulder and someone slapped you there in greeting. You might flinch, turn your head quickly or even shake them off.
  
• Yelping:
  When you hear your dog give a short yelp for no apparent reason – for example, while he’s lying quietly – this can be a sign of a sharp, sudden pain.
  
• Panting:
  Some dogs will pant excessively when they are uncomfortable (during times that they would not be panting normally).
  
• Trembling:
  Occasionally dogs will “shiver” when they experience pain, although other conditions can also cause this. (Sometimes even non-health related conditions; I know one dog who lets her owner know she needs to go outside by trembling.)
  
• Resistance to changing levels:
  If your dog doesn’t want to jump on or off the couch or climb stairs, this can be because of pain, especially back pain or other orthopedic pain. The same can be said if a dog does not easily rise when lying down or has difficulty sitting or lying down from a standing position.
  
• Guarding:
  If your dog has a “hunched” posture, where the back arches up when it did not previously, she may be experiencing abdominal discomfort. If you’ve ever had a stomach ache yourself, you’ll recognize this posture. Occasionally dogs with back pain or neck pain will do this, as well.
  
• Straining:
  Both straining to urinate and urinating frequently can indicate bladder or urethra pain or discomfort. Some dogs lick or chew their genitals when they’re in pain in this region, but this is not always a sign of pain. Straining to pass stool, along with soft feces and/or feces coated with mucous or blood, can indicate a colon problem, which could mean there is discomfort in the lower digestive tract.
  
• Apathy:
  Internal pain can cause a decrease in normal activity levels. Turning back on walks, half-hearted playing or refusing to play, and staying in one place for an extended period of time, can be a sign of pain.
  
• Lack of appetite:
  Sometimes pain can cause nausea or a lack of appetite. If a dog doesn’t feel well, she may eat less, turn her nose away from treats or stop eating altogether.
  
• Lack of engagement:
  Pain, especially chronic pain, can cause isolating or withdrawn behaviors. Many times, dogs will stop playing or retreat to a private, protected area to nest under a bed or in a corner, and refuse to come out unless coaxed repeatedly. Many guardians mistakenly think their dogs’ personality is changing, or that they are “getting old” when the real problem might be chronic pain.
  
• Aggression:
  Dogs may become aggressive when they are enduring a painful condition.