How to tell if your dog or cat is in pain

Your dog hesitates before lying down. Your cat approaches the sofa, looks up, then stays on the floor. Changes like these can accompany pain even without crying. Notice what differs from your pet’s usual routine and contact your veterinarian before waiting for obvious deterioration.

This article combines the subject of the Escala de dor ebook with veterinary references to guide observation. Posture, facial expression and behavior can contribute to an assessment, but they cannot identify the cause on their own or authorize medication. Editorial preparation of this content does not constitute clinical review.

When pain requires immediate veterinary attention

Seek immediate veterinary care for severe pain, breathing difficulty, collapse, significant trauma, sudden inability to walk, a swollen abdomen with unsuccessful attempts to vomit, or straining to urinate while passing little or no urine. Do not wait to complete a scale, record a video or download the ebook.

These signs feature among the conditions listed by Cornell University’s veterinary emergency service. Getting veterinary attention takes priority. Call the clinic as you arrange to leave and ask how to transport your pet with as little handling as possible.

Less dramatic changes also deserve a call: new difficulty getting up, reluctance to perform familiar movements or ongoing discomfort should not automatically be attributed to age. Describe the signs so the team can assess how urgently your pet needs to be seen. Absence of the signs above does not guarantee that waiting is safe.

Acute and chronic pain can look different

Acute pain may accompany an injury, operation or recent illness. Chronic pain persists or recurs and can gradually change everyday activities. A pet with chronic pain can also experience an acute episode. Chronic does not mean mild, and acute pain does not have to involve crying out.

The original material draws useful attention to subtle changes, such as avoiding contact or no longer jumping. However, signs do not necessarily follow a sequence of stages. A pet can have significant pain without progressing through visible steps, and an apparently calm expression cannot tell you how long the discomfort has been present.

What you notice	In dogs	In cats	How to describe it at the appointment
Movement	Hesitating to get up or shifting weight	Avoiding a familiar jump or choosing a lower route	Which activity changed and in what circumstances
Rest	Difficulty settling comfortably	Choosing a different resting spot or withdrawing	Where the pet rests and whether rest is interrupted
Contact	Moving away from a familiar approach	Avoiding petting or remaining hidden	Who approached and how the pet responded
Body care	Repeatedly licking one area	Changing grooming habits or avoiding particular areas	The location and frequency, without touching to test

This table organizes examples from the educational material. It does not assign a score or confirm pain. Fear, changes in the environment and other illnesses can produce similar behavior. Mention events such as moving house or introducing another pet, without assuming that they explain every change.

What a pain scale can actually assess

A validated scale has criteria studied for a particular species and setting. It helps make observations more consistent and supports monitoring of treatment response. Copying drawings, rewriting descriptions or combining different scales creates a different instrument, which does not automatically retain the original validation.

The Feline Grimace Scale, developed at Université de Montréal, assesses acute pain in cats. It considers ear position, narrowing of the eyes, muzzle tension, whisker position and head position. Using it requires the official materials and training; listing these features here is not a scoring tutorial.

Caregivers can learn to use it as part of a plan agreed with their veterinarian. It should not be transferred to dogs or used alone to rule out chronic pain. A photograph without context also cannot establish which disease is causing discomfort.

The 2022 ISFM guidelines on feline acute pain explain that fear and stress affect assessment. They also recognize that a veterinarian may provide pain relief even when a scale’s intervention threshold has not been reached. A low score must therefore never prevent you from making contact about a concerning change.

Persistent pain, especially musculoskeletal pain, has its own assessment questionnaires. AAHA describes the CBPI and LOAD for dogs and the Feline Musculoskeletal Pain Index for cats. The veterinary team selects a suitable instrument, explains the version being used and compares records over time. These questionnaires are not interchangeable with an acute facial pain scale.

How to record changes without causing pain

Watch activities that your pet performs voluntarily. Do not squeeze the abdomen, bend joints or insist on a jump to find out whether it hurts. A defensive response can endanger both the animal and the person handling them. Examination involving manipulation belongs with the veterinary team.

Use this checklist only to prepare your account:

• Note the first change you noticed, including the date and circumstances.
• Describe the activity that looks different and what your pet normally did before.
• Record changes in eating, rest, grooming and interaction that you actually observed.
• If it is safe, film a short clip of spontaneous activity with the whole body in view.
• Bring details of prescribed medicines, supplements and administration times, along with any possible accidental exposure.

A useful note might read: “Approached the sofa twice today, then lay on the floor; previously got up there without help.” That communicates the change more clearly than “level three pain.” This is an illustrative example, not a patient treated by the project.

If two people care for your pet, identify who saw each episode. Keep observations separate from assumptions: “I did not see her eat” differs from “she did not eat” if someone else offered food. The guide to what to note before a veterinary visit can help you organize the information.

What to do while seeking advice

Provide a quiet place that is easy to reach, and do not force interaction. Avoid activities that have already caused discomfort. Easier access to resources may become part of a plan for persistent pain, but appropriate adaptations depend on the condition identified.

Do not give human painkillers on your own initiative. The FDA explains the risks of pain relievers for pets, including ibuprofen and naproxen; acetaminophen, also called paracetamol, can be fatal to cats. Do not reuse another animal’s prescription either. If accidental ingestion occurs, seek immediate veterinary advice and bring the packaging.

If your pet is already receiving treatment, record what has improved, what remains difficult and any changes after medication. Do not increase, combine or discontinue medicines yourself. Ask for specific instructions about the next administration if you suspect an adverse reaction.

Bring practical questions to the appointment: which activities can continue, which adaptations would help, how to recognize inadequate pain control and when to return. Follow-up must include assessment of the response. Identifying a possible cause does not finish the work of managing pain.

Common questions about pain in dogs and cats

Can a pet be in pain without crying?

Yes. Changes may appear in movement, rest or interaction. Silence is not proof of comfort, and you should not wait for vocalization before requesting an assessment.

Does normal eating mean my pet has no pain?

Appetite alone cannot establish that. Tell your veterinarian both what has changed and what remains normal. One observation does not cancel out the others.

Can I diagnose the problem from facial expression?

No. Facial expression contributes to observation, particularly with validated tools for cats, but it does not identify the disease. Context, examination and other information remain necessary.

Can I use the feline scale for my dog?

Do not transfer the Feline Grimace Scale to dogs. Ask your veterinarian for guidance appropriate to the species and the type of pain being investigated.

Should I collect several days of notes first?

Do not postpone contact to complete a diary. Start with what you have already observed and follow the clinic’s advice. Emergency signs require immediate care.

Does the ebook replace training in a pain scale?

No. Follow the official instructions for the instrument recommended by the veterinary team. The Portuguese ebook is educational material and includes a presentation by levels that should not guide diagnosis, medication or how long to wait.

If something changed today, note the situation and contact the clinic. For further reading, see when to go to the vet. The Escala de dor ebook, available after registration below, is in Brazilian Portuguese only.