29/03/2026
Pain alters behaviour. One of the first things I learnt when I did my dog training and behaviour course through the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training & Behavior
🟢 Why Treat Pain? Because Doing Nothing Is Still a Decision
This is something I feel incredibly passionate about—especially this past week.
My own dog experienced a sudden collapse and hind limb paralysis, leaving her immobile and in a lot of pain.
It was heartbreaking to witness.
With the right adjustments to her pain management plan and treatment approach, she is now moving again.
Without addressing her pain… this simply would not have been possible. Please read ⬇️⬇️⬇️
“I don’t want to medicate my dog.”
This is something I hear often—and I genuinely understand that concern.
But I ask you to reflect:
We take medication ourselves.
We treat our own pain.
Yet we hesitate when it comes to our dogs.
If you would take pain relief to improve your comfort, mobility, and quality of life, why wouldn’t your dog deserve the same?
🟢 Untreated Pain Is Not Harmless
Chronic pain drives:
• Compensation
• Altered gait patterns
• Muscle overload
• Myofascial restriction
• Reduced mobility
• Behavioural changes
Over time, localised pain doesn’t stay local.
It spreads, as the body adapts… but not in a good way.
Persistent pain input can lead to:
• Hyperalgesia – an exaggerated pain response
• Allodynia – pain from normally non-painful stimuli
• Central sensitisation – amplification of pain within the nervous system
These processes are well documented in veterinary pain science (Epstein et al., 2015; Woolf, 2011).
🟢 Why Treating Pain Matters
Pain left untreated:
• Reduces quality of life
• Worsens compensation patterns
• Delays rehabilitation
• Increases risk of recurrence
• Impacts emotional wellbeing
🟢 What Does Good Pain Management Look Like?
The gold standard is a multimodal approach, which may include:
✔ Veterinary-led analgesia where appropriate
✔ Weight and load management
✔ Structured, appropriate exercise
✔ Environmental modification
✔ Supportive therapies such as:
– Clinical canine massage
– Physiotherapy
– Myofascial therapy
– Ostropathy
– Acupuncture
– McTimoney
– Hydrotherapy
Working collaboratively with your vet allows pain to be addressed both medically and mechanically—and that’s where meaningful, lasting progress happens.
🟢 Final Thought
Pain management is not about over-medicating.
It’s about welfare.
It’s about compassion.
It’s about preventing long-term deterioration.
Dogs cannot tell us they are in pain.
But they show us—if we’re willing to see it.
📩 If you’re concerned about your dog’s comfort, mobility, or behaviour, speak to your vet. They can help guide you toward the most appropriate pain management plan. I would alongside your veterinary team and offer musculoskeletal pain clinics
