The single most persistent myth in dog ownership is that a dog in pain will tell you. Most do not. Dogs with significant arthritis often still wag, still eat, still greet you at the door — and a dog who yelps is usually in sudden, sharp pain rather than the chronic kind that quietly shapes their whole life.
Chronic pain shows up as changes in behaviour, and because it arrives slowly, it is usually filed under “getting old”.
The signals that matter
Changes in movement
- Slowing on walks, or lagging behind when they used to lead
- Hesitating at stairs, or taking them one at a time
- Pausing before jumping into the car or onto the sofa — the pause is often the first sign, before the refusal
- Struggling to get up, particularly after sleeping
- Stiffness that eases after a few minutes of moving
- Sitting down with a sideways flop rather than squarely
Changes in posture and sleep
- A new sleeping position, or moving around at night
- Standing with the weight shifted off one leg
- A hunched back, or a tucked belly
- Reluctance to lie down, or lying down very slowly
Changes in behaviour
- Grumpiness that is out of character — snapping when touched, going away from the family
- Becoming clingy when they never were
- Reduced interest in play or in greeting people
- Licking one spot repeatedly — dogs lick where it hurts
- Panting when it is not hot and they have not exercised
- Eating more slowly, or dropping food, which often means dental pain
The subtle facial signs
Tension around the eyes and muzzle, ears held further back than usual, a tight mouth. Dogs with pain often look, to an experienced eye, slightly “flat” in the face.
The myth of the yelping dog
A dog who yelps when touched is telling you something acute. But chronic pain — arthritis, dental disease, back pain — rarely produces any noise at all.
There is a good evolutionary reason. An animal that advertises weakness is vulnerable, so dogs, like most animals, mask it. By the time a dog visibly limps, the problem is usually well advanced.
“He’s just getting old” is not a diagnosis
Slowing down in old age is normal. **Pain is not normal, at any age**, and it is very treatable.
Arthritis in particular is enormously common in older dogs and badly under-treated, mostly because the signs are attributed to age. Dogs put on appropriate pain relief frequently become noticeably more active, more playful and more sociable within a fortnight — which tells you how much the pain had been costing them.
What to do
- **Write down what changed and when.** “Stopped jumping on the sofa about two months ago” is far more useful than “seems slow”.
- **Film it.** Dogs are notoriously stoic in the consulting room and will trot around happily.
- **Book an appointment**, and say specifically that you suspect pain rather than booking a general check.
- **Ask about a pain trial.** Where a diagnosis is unclear, vets sometimes prescribe a short course of pain relief to see whether the dog improves. Often the response is the diagnosis.
Things that help alongside treatment
- **Keeping weight down.** The single most effective intervention for joint pain — every extra kilo is loading through sore joints.
- **Non-slip flooring.** Runners and rugs on laminate change life for an arthritic dog.
- **Ramps** for the car and sofa.
- **Shorter, more frequent walks** rather than one long one.
- **A supportive bed**, out of draughts.
- **Warmth.** Cold, damp weather makes joint pain worse in dogs just as in people.
When it is urgent
Go now, rather than booking:
- Sudden inability to stand or use the back legs
- Crying out when touched or moved
- A hard, swollen, painful abdomen
- Repeated retching without producing anything
- Obvious injury, or a limb held at an unusual angle
The honest summary
Look for changed behaviour, not for crying. Hesitation before a jump, grumpiness, licking one spot, panting at odd times — these are what pain looks like in a dog.
If you find yourself explaining a change by your dog’s age, that is exactly the moment to have it checked.
