How different dog breeds feel pain: A new study on pain sensitivity

Dogs feel pain differently based on their breed, but this doesn't always match what people, including vets, think about each breed's pain sensitivity.

The experiment also found that how a dog acts around strangers might affect how vets perceive their pain sensitivity.

Let's find out what it is really like.

Pain differs

According to Margaret Gruen, a professor at NC State and co-author of the study, veterinarians typically agree on the pain sensitivity of dogs based on their breeds, but these opinions sometimes differ from public perceptions.

To verify these beliefs, researchers examined 15 dogs from 10 breeds, each classified by vets as having high, medium, or low pain sensitivity.

Using methods similar to those in human pain clinics, they assessed the dogs' sensitivity.

The experiment results show significant differences in pain sensitivity between breeds, but these distinctions don't always align with veterinarians' beliefs.

For instance, Maltese dogs, considered highly sensitive by vets, exhibited a low pain tolerance in the tests.

Contrarily, Siberian huskies are believed to be pretty sensitive, but they actually fell within the mid-range."

Why it's important

This new information highlights that how a dog acts in certain situations, like at the vet, might affect how vets rate their pain sensitivity, even though the actual pain tolerance can differ between breeds.
 

• Related news:
• research
• dogs
• breeds
• pain
• 18 November 2023

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