Signs your senior dog might be in pain

Dogs are not built to tell you they're sore. Their evolutionary inheritance is from animals who hid pain — showing it made you the easy target in the pack and the easy meal in the woods. A lot of UK dog owners go years without realising their senior dog has been quietly putting up with discomfort that a small daily medication would have eased.

The good news: most dog pain is treatable, often cheaply. The harder part is spotting it. This guide walks through the patterns that tend to mean something — and the ones that owners often miss because they look like "just being old."

Three things to know up front:

• Pain in dogs is usually behavioural before it's physical. The dog's behaviour changes before the limp appears.
• "Slowing down" is often a euphemism for pain; ask your vet about it instead of assuming it's age.
• Modern dog pain medication is safer and better than it was even five years ago. The bar for treatment has come down.

The five most-missed signs

The classic signs — limping, yelping, refusing food — are obvious. These five are the ones that hide in plain sight.

1. Becoming slightly less interested

The dog who used to greet you at the door but now stays on the sofa. The dog who used to chase the ball but now watches it go and waits for you to fetch it. The dog who used to follow you from room to room but now mostly stays put.

This isn't always pain. Some of it is genuinely slowing down. But pain is a major cause of disengagement, and it's the most common one owners ascribe to "just being older." If your dog used to do a specific thing and has stopped doing it, write it down and tell your vet. Multiple stopped behaviours together — that's a strong signal.

2. Panting at rest

Healthy dogs pant after exercise, after excitement, when they're hot. Senior dogs who pant when nothing is happening — lying on the cool kitchen floor at 9pm, settled but breathing fast — are often telling you they're uncomfortable.

This is one of the most reliable pain indicators in dogs. It's also one that gets dismissed because panting is so familiar. Look for: panting at rest in a cool room, panting when you'd expect them to be settled, panting that doesn't match the activity level.

It can be other things — anxiety, heart issues, fever — so it's not specific to pain. But when it appears in a senior dog who didn't pant at rest a year ago, it's worth a vet conversation.

3. Reluctance to do specific physical things

Not "doesn't want to walk" — that's the obvious sign. The subtler ones:

• Pausing at the bottom of the stairs before going up
• Hesitating before jumping into the car
• Not getting up onto the sofa they used to launch onto
• Lying down differently — slower, stiffer, with a small sigh
• Avoiding hardwood floors and seeking out rugs
• Sitting down to eat instead of standing

Each of these on its own can mean nothing. Two or three together usually mean joint pain, often arthritis. Most senior dogs over 10 have some degree of osteoarthritis, even if they're not visibly limping.

4. Excessive licking of one specific spot

A dog who licks their wrist, their hip, a specific paw, or a specific patch of skin obsessively is often telling you that spot hurts. The licking is a self-soothing behaviour and can also indicate referred pain (the spot they lick isn't necessarily the source).

This is often dismissed as a habit or a skin issue. The skin issue follows the licking, not the other way around — if you find raw skin or hair loss in one spot, the original cause is usually discomfort.

5. Reactivity or grumpiness that's new

A previously gentle dog who growls when you touch their hindquarters. A previously tolerant dog who snaps at the kids when they pat the wrong place. A dog who's started to hide under furniture instead of coming to greet you.

This is one of the most heart-wrenching ones to spot because it can look like a behaviour problem. It very rarely is. Pain changes temperament, and dogs in chronic discomfort are less able to manage themselves. A dog who has become "moody" in their old age has usually become sore.

Important caveat: if a dog snaps because of pain, do not punish. Address the underlying cause. The behaviour will resolve once the dog is comfortable.

Less-missed but still under-reported signs

These are signs owners often see but don't connect to pain.

• Whining or whimpering when getting up. A small sound on standing. Often dismissed as "getting old." It's usually joint pain.
• Stiffness in the morning that wears off. Classic arthritis pattern. The "wearing off" is the dog warming up the joints, which is exactly what humans with arthritis do.
• Reluctance to be groomed. A dog who used to enjoy brushing now flinches or leaves. Could be skin discomfort, dental pain (if you're brushing near the head), or general body soreness making any handling uncomfortable.
• Changes in toilet posture. Hunching to poo, straining, or finding a different position to wee. Often hip or back discomfort.
• Eating slower or chewing on one side. Dental pain. Up to 80% of dogs over 3 have some degree of dental disease, and senior dogs particularly often have specific painful teeth that owners don't realise are bothering them.
• Sleeping in different places. A dog who used to sleep on their soft bed now sleeps on the cold tiled floor. The hardness eases pressure on sore joints.
• Lapping water differently. A dog who's developed dental pain or jaw discomfort sometimes laps less efficiently and leaves more water around the bowl.

What pain looks like in specific conditions

A short field guide to the most common UK senior dog pain conditions.

Arthritis / osteoarthritis

The most common chronic pain condition in senior dogs. Up to 80% of dogs over 8 have some degree of it; in larger breeds, it can be 90%+.

Signs: stiffness in the morning that improves with movement, reluctance to climb stairs or jump, lying down more, taking longer to get up, a "bunny-hopping" gait, irritability when touched on hips or shoulders.

Treatment: typically a mix of pain medication (NSAIDs like Galliprant or Onsior, or monoclonal antibody injections like Librela), joint supplements (glucosamine and chondroitin, sometimes hyaluronic acid), weight management, gentle exercise, and physical aids (ramps, raised beds, rugs on slippery floors).

Dental pain

Frequently missed. Dogs adapt to dental pain by changing how they eat, chew, and play.

Signs: chewing on one side, eating wet food but leaving kibble, bad breath that's worse than usual, dropping food, pawing at the face, becoming sensitive about being touched around the mouth.

Treatment: a vet dental exam under anaesthesia is the standard. Many UK practices now offer the option of pre-anaesthetic blood work for senior dogs, which makes dentals safer. Costs vary widely (£300–£900 depending on extractions needed).

Spondylosis and back pain

Common in older medium and large dogs.

Signs: reluctance to jump, hunched posture, sensitivity to being touched along the spine, dragging back paws on long walks.

Treatment: similar to arthritis (NSAIDs, weight management, physical therapy). Sometimes a specific course of medication or hydrotherapy.

Pancreatitis (acute episode)

Painful and underdiagnosed in dogs prone to it.

Signs: "praying position" (front legs down, hindquarters up), abdominal pain on palpation, vomiting, lethargy, refusal to eat. This is an urgent vet visit, not a watch-and-wait.

Ear infections

The ears can hurt a lot more than they look.

Signs: head shaking, scratching at one ear, head tilt, smell, brown discharge, tenderness when touched. Most respond well to antibiotic drops; some recurrent cases need long-term management.

What to do today

If you're reading this because something has nudged you:

1. Make a list. Three minutes. Write down anything your dog used to do that they don't do as much anymore. And anything new — panting, licking, hesitation. Be specific.

2. Watch the morning. For one week, observe how your dog gets up in the morning. Time how long it takes. Note the sound, the posture, the speed. This is the most pain-revealing time of day.

3. Photograph the limping. If there's a gait that looks off, take a 10-second video on your phone. Vets love this; their hands-on exam doesn't always reproduce what you see at home.

4. Book a check-up. A senior dog (over 8, or over 6 for giant breeds) should ideally have a vet visit every 6 months even when nothing seems wrong. If anything in this guide rings true, that visit becomes a proper conversation rather than a passing one.

5. Don't self-medicate. Human painkillers (paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin) can be dangerous or fatal for dogs. Wait for your vet's recommendation.

What treatment looks like in 2026

The state of dog pain management is genuinely better than it was a few years ago. Some of the changes that matter:

• Librela (bedinvetmab) — a monthly injection for osteoarthritis pain. It's a monoclonal antibody, side-effect profile better than long-term NSAIDs for most dogs. Around £55–£90/month in the UK, lower with a written prescription and online pharmacy.
• Galliprant — a newer NSAID with a more targeted action and fewer GI side effects than older NSAIDs.
• Apoquel and Cytopoint — for itchy dogs, where the discomfort is from skin issues rather than joints. Excellent options.
• Adequan — an injectable joint support, available in the UK now after years of being US-only.
• Hydrotherapy and physio — widely available across the UK at specialist centres, often covered by pet insurance.

Under the 2026 CMA reforms, you have the right to ask your vet for a written prescription and fill it at any pharmacy. For long-term medications, this commonly saves £200–£400 a year. The savings make consistent treatment more affordable, which means more dogs stay comfortable for longer.

When pain becomes part of a bigger picture

If multiple of these signs are present and your dog is in the last few years of their life, the conversation with your vet may involve quality-of-life scoring, palliative options, and longer-term decisions. The HHHHHMM scale is a structured way to track this over time.

The most important thing: don't sit alone with the question of whether your dog is in pain. Vets — especially the ones who know senior dogs well — will help you read it. So will an experienced dog walker, daycare staff, or a dog-savvy friend who can see what you've stopped seeing because you're too close to it.

FAQ

My dog has slowed down. Is that pain or just age? It's often pain. "Slowing down" gets used as a euphemism for arthritis pain in older dogs. Worth asking the vet about specifically — they'll do a hands-on exam of the joints.

Are NSAIDs safe long-term? For most dogs, yes. Modern NSAIDs (Galliprant, Onsior, meloxicam) have a better safety profile than older drugs, and regular blood work picks up early signs of any issue. Your vet will weigh the risks against the benefits — long-term untreated pain is also a serious welfare concern.

Will my dog hide pain from me deliberately? Not deliberately — it's instinct. Dogs evolved to mask pain. But they're not deceiving you; they're doing what their nervous system has done for thousands of years. Your job is to read them.

What's the cheapest way to get a senior dog on regular pain medication? Ask your vet for a written prescription and fill it at a registered UK online pharmacy (VetUK, VioVet, PetDrugsOnline). Under the 2026 CMA rules the prescription fee is capped at around £21 and savings on the medication itself typically pay for the prescription many times over.

Can I tell from a video if my dog is in pain? Sometimes. A 10-second video of how your dog gets up from lying down, or walks down a corridor, is genuinely useful for your vet. Don't make the diagnosis yourself; do let the vet see what you see.

Where Superkin fits

Superkin helps you spot the subtle pain patterns by combining what everyone in your household notices. Stiffness in the morning when one of you sees it. Reluctance to do stairs when someone else does. Licking a paw when the dog walker notices.

Each observation on its own is easy to dismiss. The Sunday plan puts them next to each other and surfaces the trend — and when it's worth a vet check, the brief comes ready-made for the appointment.

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Related guides:

• Good days and bad days: tracking your senior dog's wellbeing
• The HHHHHMM scale, in plain English
• Apoquel UK price guide: how to save up to 60% in 2026

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Last updated 20 May 2026. This guide is general advice and not a substitute for veterinary care. If you think your dog is in pain, please speak to your vet.