The blind spot that’s hurting our dogs
This keeps us from better understanding the connection between health and behavior.
We know health impacts behavior. We know countless dogs experience acute and chronic conditions that lead to pain and discomfort. Why, then, is it so challenging to get help for your dog when you suspect discomfort is impacting their behavior?
There are many reasons. Today I’m going to talk about one particular barrier that keeps us stuck.
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Let me know if any of these statements sound familiar:
The tests/exam/diagnostics didn’t show anything abnormal
Yes, the dog has X condition, but it’s not causing them pain
The imaging shows that the condition is very mild
No pain was evident during the exam
This is very normal for the breed
This dog has always walked/stood/sat this way
Many dogs have this behavior problem, it’s not the result of pain
This dog is too young to have this condition
All dogs over the age of X have these issues
I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard all of these before. At least three were said to directly to me about Larkin.
What all of these statements have in common is they look at only one piece of data to draw broad conclusions. In other words, they fail to see the bigger picture.
When we assess how your dog’s health impacts their behavior, we’re looking at several of factors.
They are:
Behavior and behavior changes
Postural adaptations
Gait adaptations
Physical appearance
Functional wellness
That’s because pain affects behavior in a variety of ways, both direct and indirect. It can manifest in a wide range of behavior changes, along with changes in posture, gait, and physical appearance.
These changes aren’t arbitrary or random. They directly reflect how the underlying discomfort or condition impacts the dog. These changes are data.
Let’s take a look at the following example:
A dog is diagnosed with hip dysplasia and X-rays show the condition to be mild. However, the dog is showing changes in posture and gait, reluctance to climb stairs, and increased barking and lunging behaviors at other dogs.
Every single one of these data points should be taken seriously and looked at it in their totality.
X-rays showing mild disease is good news. However, given that the dog is adapting their gait and posture, showing difficulty navigating their environment, and exhibits behavior changes all points to how the condition is impacting the dog day-to-day.
How a dog is behaving and adapting is valuable information in and of itself. We shouldn’t negate it in favor of other metrics we consider more important.
And here’s a human example of how physical adaptations work:
Last weekend I attempted to pull an overfilled wheelbarrow up a stony path that was slick with rain 😅 As I pushed off my left leg and pulled the wheelbarrow towards me, my foot slipped out from under me and I fell on my ass. Hard.
The next day I realized that it hurt putting weight on my left leg under certain conditions. I immediately noticed that I was making the following adjustments:
When getting dressed, I would lean on a piece of furniture to support myself when my right leg was off the ground
When bending down I would bend in a split squat with all my weight on my right leg and my left leg toe touching the floor
I walked uphills slowly and limped
Why was I weight shifting and compensating? Because it was more comfortable for me. That’s what adaptations are, they help us avoid discomfort.
When we know what to look for and see these adaptions in our dogs, we should take them seriously even when diagnostics or other tests point to a “mild” condition.
Diagnostics can also help in ruling out a particular condition, but they can’t and don’t rule out pain. Absence of a diagnosis doesn’t mean there’s absence of discomfort and its effects.
This is what leads many dog guardians to report feeling “crazy” for thinking something’s wrong their dogs. I’ve heard this sentiment more times than I can count.
What’s really happening is that many people are picking up on signs of discomfort, but these signs are being discounted by others, including professionals, because we don’t appreciate the value of these metrics.
Similarly, we must think more critically about elements we consider “normal” for dogs of a particular age or breed. What we mean by “normal” is that certain elements of posture, gait, and behavior are common, and therefore considered not notable. But just because something is common, doesn’t mean it’s not impacting the dog.
Pain might be common, but it shouldn’t be inevitable or left untreated.
What’s also striking is how quick we are to discount or outright ignore pain in dogs who have known, diagnosed conditions. This one hits especially close to home, because it took us six years to have a single professional point out Larkin’s elbow dysplasia as a potential factor in his behavior.
All of this to say, we must look at the whole picture. Always.
How and whether your dog adapts their posture and gait, how they function day-to-day, and their behavior are all valuable, necessary data points that shouldn’t take a backseat to other factors we’re used to prioritizing.
Finally, no professional of any stripe should ever say with any certainty that something ins’t impacting your dog without a full, thorough, and ongoing assessment.
If you suspect something might be going on with your dog, trust your gut and keep investigating. Work with someone who can do an individualized assessment. I offer a behavior and health assessment that digs deep into every aspect of dogs’ behavior and mobility.
Does this resonate? If you have an experience you want to share or have questions, I’d love to know!
Talk soon,
Jenny.