Alright i have a question. I am not even sure if it can be answered or not.

First i will start by saying my opinion on the subject is that dogs feel pain differently then humans do. Of course dogs feel pain there is no doubt about that. I just am under the impression they interpret pain differently then we do. Don't ask how or why i think that but for some reason i do.

Now my question is, am i mistaken? And is there any research done on this? Any published papers by Doctors?

They have a higher pain tollerence, thats all I know, and thats not neccesarily true for ALL dogs.

Thats my thoughts on it but i am looking for any sort of papers on it. I expressed my views

"I am not even sure if this question can be answered. My basic thought behind it is canines have a different biological make up and a different nervous system then we do so of course they feel pain different then us and they where wild animals that hunted in the woods among other places so naturally they have thick skin (figure of speech)

With that said it is all my personal opinion. I do know different dogs feel pain at different levels, the same as humans. I just chock that up to common sense.

I think you might be thinking i am saying we can correct the dogs harder considering they can take more pain, that is not it at all."

of course someone challenged my thought prossess so i was wondering if there was any research done on it, i am sure there is but i am not to sure where to look.

I have no idea how one would tell how a dog feels; I can't even tell if another human loves sex or barbeque the same way I do.

Well, I think that I agree that it does seem like dogs in general tolerate pain better than we do. But that may not mean that they don't feel it as strongly...just that their outward appearence may manifest differently.

If you think about it in terms of survival, a writhing, screaming animal will attract predators. They don't really have the luxury (if you want to call it that) of being able to give into the pain like we do.

I think that if you're looking for evidence of studies done on evidence of pain intensity felt by animals, and variations between individual animals, then I would start by looking for EEG level studies and such. The problem is that a lot of these studies are only available through expensive or vet-only journals.

But I know from my own personal experience at vet's offices that some dogs are more sensitive than others. Probably influenced by their fear-level and basic genetic make-up (just like people), IMO.

Hey there Amber,

Thanks for the post. My interest in this topic basically came from a on-line argument where someone said dogs feel pain exactly like humans do. My first instinct was to say no, they don't, they are dogs not humans. And me with my big mouth spoke with out thinking. Now my opinion has not changed but i figure i better find some documents to back up my statement (and to make sure i am not dishing out bad info)

I talked to my Vet and he gave me a example (it pretty much boils down to dogs recover faster then humans) the example it self wasn't what i was looking for but at least a Vet has confirmed my line of thought. He also told me to check out the AVMA website. I am planning on doing that as soon as i get a brake (in 2 hours or so)

Michael, it seems that those who said dogs feel pain "exactly" like humans do would have as much need to prove what they said as you would to prove your opinion. So I wouldn't sweat it too much.

Secondly, dogs doing bitework with muzzles on...would you be able to ram your head into someone that hard and come out still ready to do more? What about when a dog hits his head HARD on a door jamb and continues on his merry way as if nothing happened (my dog does this sometimes when I call him out of a room and he tries to squeeze by a narrow opening); we hit our head and it takes a few minutes to recover while we rub our heads in agony. How about a dog I saw with his foot pad torn wide open still walking and running and bouncing around as if nothing was wrong. What about a dog torn up by another dog and continuing to fight as compared to a human torn up by a dog and screaming bloody murder.

I almost hesitate to post this so I will add this important note so that my opinion isn't misunderstood by readers: dogs may not hurt as much as we do, but that isn't to say they don't hurt at all. It could be they're just more able to deal with pain than we are, as it seems animals, especially in the wild, have that ability. Imagine a gazelle taken down by a lion, but escapes and is able to continue running. What human could do that?

http://www.caberfeidh.com/Pain1.htm

http://www.azcentral.com/news/columns/articles/0803clay0803.html

A couple of interesting discussions.

 Quote: sandy moore

Michael, it seems that those who said dogs feel pain "exactly" like humans do would have as much need to prove what they said as you would to prove your opinion. So I wouldn't sweat it too much.

Well i rather back my views up with research and facts, if the opposing party doesn't want to back up there claim then thats there fault. I just don't like bad info being passed around

 Quote: sandy moore

Secondly, dogs doing bitework with muzzles on...would you be able to ram your head into someone that hard and come out still ready to do more? What about when a dog hits his head HARD on a door jamb and continues on his merry way as if nothing happened (my dog does this sometimes when I call him out of a room and he tries to squeeze by a narrow opening); we hit our head and it takes a few minutes to recover while we rub our heads in agony. How about a dog I saw with his foot pad torn wide open still walking and running and bouncing around as if nothing was wrong. What about a dog torn up by another dog and continuing to fight as compared to a human torn up by a dog and screaming bloody murder.

Yup pretty much what i was thinking but she asked for research papers :-p so i will try and provide some, I will see if she does the same.

 Quote: sandy moore

I almost hesitate to post this so I will add this important note so that my opinion isn't misunderstood by readers: dogs may not hurt as much as we do, but that isn't to say they don't hurt at all. It could be they're just more able to deal with pain than we are, as it seems animals, especially in the wild, have that ability. Imagine a gazelle taken down by a lion, but escapes and is able to continue running. What human could do that?

Pretty much what i was trying to say but yet they still wanted to humanize dogs for some reason.

Also i wanted to add, i am not saying we should be harder on dogs because they can take more i am just saying they deal with it differently and am trying to find out more info on it.