What to do if your Dog is Groaning
If you notice your dog is groaning, and he doesn’t normally groan, make an appointment with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will be able to get to the bottom of their groaning sounds by asking you several different questions in order to get more information about his groaning habits.
In order to rule out any health concerns, your veterinarian may want to run a few laboratory tests to get a better picture of what could be causing your dog to groan. He will take into consideration their age and past health issues before conducting any tests. He may perform blood work, urinalysis, biochemistry profile to begin, and then do any imaging he feels is necessary. If it is an older dog and he suspects he may be having joint pain, these will be effective in taking a closer look at his joints. He may also palpate the abdomen and take further tests of the abdominal area to check for any buildup of fluid that could be causing your pet discomfort.
Preventing the groaning of your dog will depend on the health issue your dog is having. Once the health issue is diagnosed by your veterinarian, he will recommend treatment options to help your dog become well again. Once the treatment options are in place, and you are consistently giving him any medication that he needs at home, his symptoms should begin to go away. If he is recovering, he should moan and groan less as his pain is decreasing.
If your dog is groaning due to a behavioral issue or because of his vocal breed-type, prevention may be quite tricky. As a dog owner, you may be simply relieved that your dog’s groaning is not due to a health concern and may be able to tolerate this sound. However, if the groaning is something you want to stop, you may do different things to help prevent it. Distracting your dog when he begins to groan may help, being sure he is always fed on a regular schedule, has a comfortable area to sleep, and gets plenty of attention from you may be ways to prevent this behavior. If your dog’s groaning is out of control and you are out of options, you may contact a behavioral therapist or a trainer to help you keep your dog’s groaning to a minimum.
The cost of treatment for groaning in dogs depends on the health condition. Costs can range from $300 for the treatment of arthritis, $500 for a behavioral therapist, and up to $1800 to treat ascites. Typically, panosteitis can cost up to $800 for treatment.
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How Does a Groan or a Moan Sound?
A groan is a usually low, deep grunting-like noise that means disapproval, suffering, or contentment. A deep, mournful, and sometimes prolonged low pitched groan signifies pain or discomfort to compare human sounds. For our four-legged friends, the sounds a dog makes when experiencing pain or feeling happy can be the same.
On the other hand, a moan is a thinner, long-winded whining-like sound that aims to utter or signify pleasure. As mentioned, dogs can have different reasons why they moan or groan. It is usually associated with how they feel physically and emotionally, and they’ll utilize these emotes to express joy or sadness. Sometimes, a dog craves attention and will express it through low-pitched moans. And since pups cannot speak for themselves, they’ll communicate by moaning.
If you have a puppy that suddenly groans when it tries to jump or move, pain is probably building up in their body. Elder dogs have more reasons to groan because of their age and because of their weakening health.
Any or all of these changes may indicate pain and should be brought to the attention of your veterinarian. It is now understood that the sooner pain is recognized and managed, your dog’s quality of life will be maintained, as well as your dog’s (and your family’s) daily living activities. Keywords
Changes in daily habits.A dog who is painful may withdraw from his usual family interactions. He may become less engaged in his surroundings. You may notice decreased eating and/or drinking. You may also notice changes in sleeping patterns – some painful dogs sleep more, while others sleep less. Some painful dogs have lapses in housetraining because it is uncomfortable to get up to go outside. It is painful to get into position to urinate or defecate, so he may hold his urine or stool for so long that he has accidents.
Recognizing and treating pain in dogs has evolved dramatically over time. Since dogs are living longer and longer, they are also experiencing the deterioration and debilitation that goes along with aging. This includes the development of osteoarthritis, which involves painful inflammation of the joints. It is a dog’s instinct to hide or mask its pain, making pain difficult to diagnose. No one is in a better position to identify the subtle changes in behavior that may signal pain than human family members. When a dog is experiencing pain, the following are changes that you may notice. These signs will signal the need to visit your veterinarian.
Changes in facial expressions. A dog who is painful may pant excessively, even at rest. His facial expression may be described as a grimace, and he may seem to have a vacant stare off into space. Some painful dogs actually have a wide-eyed look. Other dogs may appear to be half asleep with partially closed eyelids. This facial expression may result from a lack of sleep because he has difficulty getting comfortable.
Changes in activities of daily living.You may notice pacing or restlessness because your dog cannot find a comfortable place to lie down. Likewise, he may repeatedly get up and lie down in an attempt to find a comfortable position. You may notice he has less energy, or decreased endurance for previously enjoyable activities like walks and play, chasing a ball, or swimming. Once down, he may be reluctant to get back up. He may be less eager to jump up onto a bed or onto furniture. It may be more difficult for him to get into the car for a ride. You may notice trembling in his legs (particularly the rear legs). He may become reluctant to go up or down stairs. Finally, he may develop difficulty walking on slick floor surfaces.
How To Stop Dog Whining
There are dogs, however, which groan suddenly and consistently for no apparent reason to the owner. Groaning in dogs is typically a means of wanting attention, a sound of satisfaction from being petted or rubbed, or can be a sign of discomfort.