14/07/2025
⭐⭐ Monthly Theme continued - Chronic Pain ⭐⭐
Signs/ causes of pain
Because equines are prey animals, they will naturally try to appear as strong and healthy as possible so as not to attract the attention of predators in the wild. Therefore, signs of pain vary greatly and can be very subtle, especially in donkeys.
We usually see chronic pain in older horses, common causes include arthritis, dental disease, chronic soft tissue injuries, chronic laminitis.
Obvious signs of pain such as overt lameness or colic like symptoms are easy to spot, it is the more subtle signs that can be tricky. Things to look out for include:
👉 Change in demeanour. This can be subtle such as being a little quieter or more grumpy than usual.
👉 Change in usual behaviour. This can include not greeting you at the stable door in the morning, or being pushed down the pecking order in the herd.
👉 Changes of facial expression can be an indicator of pain; this can be more easily demonstrated in the pain scale that we often use to measure pain.
👉 Lameness is a clear sign of orthopaedic pain, ocular pain can be shown by holding an eye closed, and dental pain can be seen by dropping food or abnormal chewing patterns.
Next week we will look at targeting the source of pain, pain medication and alternative therapies.
