can you spot feline pain?

If you can remember leg warmers and big hair, you may remember a time when people seriously believed cats could not feel pain. To all us cat lovers this may seem a crazy notion but as recently as 1989 veterinarians in the USA were taught simply to ignore animal pain. In the 80's, Bernard Rollin of Colorado State University wrote two papers about recognising pain in animals but even then, many still believed only dogs could feel pain, not cats. In fact I can still remember seeing practice where cats were never given any form of pain relief, even for operations, and I qualified in 1999!
So how could this misconception have come about?
Cats are solitary in the wild, unlike dogs who live in packs. Because of this they have no need to convey pain, in fact it may alert predators that they are weak. This is also the reason that cats do not vocalise or cry in pain. So cats get on with it because they have to, they have no pack to rely on for back up. Cats actually have poorly developed facial muscles compared to humans because they have no need for facial expression in the wild. That is probably why many can not read a cats expression of pain but many cat lovers can spot the subtle changes of facial expression that are present. In acute pain cats often draw they ears back slightly which pulls their eyes into slits. If a cat is happy, their ears are up or forward and eyes are round. Cats in acute pain are often withdrawn and hang their head low, with a hunched up posture.

Most of us know our cats well enough to recognise acute pain but chronic pain can be much more difficult to spot. We often attribute many of the signs of chronic pain in cats to old age. Many chronically sore cats will appear to sleep more and lie about because they are reluctant to move. Sometimes you notice that they can no longer jump onto the bed or window sill. One of the commonest signs we see as vets is a matted coat, especially over the spine and hips, and an unkempt appearance. This is simply due to the cats being too stiff and sore to groom properly. Cats often appear more grumpy and less interactive and which again is often put down to age. www.spotcatpain.co.uk is a great website teaching owners how to spot pain in their cats. If you have any concerns or think your cat may be in pain please bring them in for a check up. There are now a wide range of pain relief agents specifically designed for cats, so no cat needs to suffer in silence anymore. 

how to apply a foot bandage

In this weeks blog we show you how to apply a foot bandage to your pet. 

With the better weather approaching cats will be venturing and dogs will be going on some fun adventures, but we all know this can bring its troubles.

would you know what to do if you pet cut its foot and you cant stop the bleeding?, or you need to reapply a dressing that has fallen off?

If you do not have any materials with you, you could use a piece of cloth to apply pressure

most importantly most cuts require antibiotics and sometime suturing, the sooner you seek veterinary advice the better it is for a quick recovery. 

Welcome to our new blog!!!

Welcome to Glenbrae vet clinics Bearsden and Dumbarton's new venture in internet blogging Whiskers and waggy 'tales'.

Bearsden surgery

Dumbarton surgery

For anyone who have not met us, we are a conventional and holistic vet service based in bearsden glasgow north not for from the west end with a well established branch surgery in Dumbarton.

In our weekly blog we hope to:

• give you an insight into our daily routine
• discuss interesting cases that we come across
• what to do in emergencies 
• looking out for common illnesses/ conditions
• give advice on general care and maintenance or your pets

We hope that you enjoy our animal tales over the following weeks If there is any topics you would like us to discuss or if you want your pets story published on our blog feel free to contact us at the surgery or sent us a message via:
www.facebook.com/glenbrae

www.glenbrae-vet.co.uk