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Most of us, including veterinarians, believe that various dog breeds have varying degrees of sensitivity to pain, even though there’s not a lot of scientific evidence supporting this claim.
However, that’s about to change, as a recent study aimed to find out if this is true.
Researchers from North Carolina State University conducted a study involving 10 different dog breeds, and their findings confirmed that canines do indeed possess distinct levels of tolerance and sensitivity to pain.
Surprisingly, the study’s findings did not always match with what veterinarians thought about pain sensitivity in different breeds.
How veterinarians and the general public viewed the sensitivity to pain for different dog breeds. Credit: Caddiell et al., Frontiers in Pain Research, 2023.
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Difference between vets and the public
According to Margaret Gruen, a veterinary behaviorist at North Carolina State University, there is a general consensus among veterinarians in their ratings of pain sensitivity in dogs of different breeds. Interestingly, these ratings are often with the ratings given by the general public.
“”We wanted to see if any of it were true,” Dr Gruen said. “By selecting 15 dogs from 10 different breeds, categorized as having high, medium, and low sensitivity according to existing ratings, we aimed to test their threshold for pain.”
“We wanted to see if there were any differences, and if so, would they be consistent with what the vets think? Or perhaps the vet’s views were affected by how the dog interacted and behaved around vets.”
The researchers conducted the study using a total of 149 female and male dogs. Each breed was placed in a category of how the vets and general public viewed them in terms of pain sensitivity. The categories and the breeds in each category were:
- High pain sensitivity (low pain tolerance): Chihuahua, German Shepherd, Maltese, and Siberian Husky.
- Average pain sensitivity: Border Collie, Boston Terrier, and Jack Russell Terrier.
- Low pain sensitivity (high pain tolerance): Golden Retriever, Pitbull, and Labrador Retriever
Pain sensitivity in different breeds
The researchers tested each dog’s pain sensitivity by pressing different objects against their paws.
They also measured the dog’s emotional reactivity by using a stuffed monkey that moved and made noises. The dogs were also tested to see how they would interact with people they didn’t know.
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Findings of the study
Although the results for each test varied slightly, there was a clear distinction in pain sensitivity between the different breeds.
However, interestingly, the pain sensitivity ratings provided by veterinarians did not always match up with the study’s findings.
Dog breed type comparisons for dog pain sensitivity thresholds in one of the tests. Credit: Caddiell et al., Frontiers in Pain Research, 2023.
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Malteses, for example, tended to have a higher pain sensitivity (reacted very quickly to stimuli) compared to other breeds, which the vets predicted.
Contrary to what vets believe (that Siberian huskies have a high pain sensitivity threshold), these dogs were actually positioned more towards the middle of the rankings.
Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers consistently ranked at the top of the pain tolerance rankings (low pain sensitivity) in the study.
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Interestingly, this matched with the vets’ prediction as they generally believe these breeds can endure more pain than what the general public believes.
Dog going through pain testing.
Duncan Lascelles, a veterinary surgeon from North Carolina State University, said, “while behavioral differences may explain why the vets rated some breeds higher than others, it does not explain the difference in pain tolerance between breeds.”
“This study shows that biological differences in pain sensitivity exist between different dog breeds. With this understanding, we can now start to look for potential biological factors that might explain these differences.”
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Summary
To summarize, a dog’s reluctance or anxious behavior does not necessarily mean that they are more or less sensitive to pain.
Understanding this difference can be useful when looking after dogs in challenging situations, such as visiting the vet.
By gaining a deeper understanding of the reasons why certain breeds are more pain tolerant than others, it will enable us to provide more precise and effective prescription of pain relief for our furry friends in the future.
You can read the original research paper, published in Frontiers in Pain Research, by clicking here.
