Do Dogs Know You're Hurting

Hi PattyK

Welcome to the group and sorry to hear that your husband is having treatment for bowl cancer.  I wouldn't be surprised if your dog knows that something is wrong, I firmly believe that animals can sense when something is wrong.

Wish you both the best of luck with the future.

Best wishes

Daisy53

Hello Vicky

I really believe that dogs can sense far more than we realise.  When my husband was having chemo our Bernese would be so sensitive and careful without a word from us.  I think she could smell the difference and she would check on my husband regularly without approaching him.

After his surgery (she hadn’t seen us for weeks) she jumped all over me but she just crept up to my husband gently and sat beside him - I nearly cried, I was so proud of her! 

We lost her in 2011 and sadly we lost our second wonderful Bernese at the end of October, our lives are emptier but we have the memories of two fantastic girls who filled our lives with love and fun.

I hope you and your husband are coping alright, it’s so hard going through everything that cancer brings and I hope that his treatment helps.

Take care.  J x

I think animals are very intuitive, I have a young Parson Russell terrier ( had border terriers for nearly thirty years, cracking little dogs) he's a handful and very excitable but following my surgery in July he's been very respectful around me, he seems to be in tune with my moods too, will come and lie at side of me on bad days xx

Hi,Before diagnosis a neighbours dog would put his head on my bladder everytime I saw him.My neighbour thought this was odd and had never seen the dog do it before.I’m sure it could smell the cancer.Love Jane xx

Thank you everyone for your comments. I haven't been here for a while but unfortunately Jay's (my husband) condition has worsened slightly. He was taken off chemo in November just before Christmas and has had to have a nephrostomy procedure done for his kidneys because the chemo had done some damage. He developed sepsis at the beginning of the year and was very ill with this and is more or less still recovering. We still have `wee Jack` our Border Terrier and he keeps us `sane`. He is there for me when I have very dark days. I could be sitting crying and he jumps up and comes over and licks my face or places his head on my shoulders as if to say `everything will be alright mummy` but I'm sure he senses it too that there is sadness in the house with everything that is going on some days he just looks so sad and lost too. 

Vicky x

Hi Vicky

 I’m so sorry for what you and you and yiur Husband are going through   we have an English Springer Spaniel called Dudley I have since 10th March been in hospital twice once for 7 days then 14th April for surgery for Bowel Cancer  and both times he knew something was wrong he never left my side on both occasions but more do the second time it’s like he knew I had had surgery and needed to be looked after 

Animals are very astute and pick up on situations especially out of the ordinary. Dudley had helped me with my recovery just sitting next to me and stroking him just reduces my anxiety just let your wee little four pawed friend do his thing and be there for you both 

I wish you and your husband well 

xxxx

I’ve just been reading all the comments about pets.  I was diagnosed with Stage3c ovarian cancer last December and since then my Jack Russell hasn’t left my side and often puts his paw on my foot to say ‘I’m here mum to comfort you’.  I have been through chemo and surgery and this week will be my final chemo session. From time to time he goes and stays with my old neighbour who has known him since he was six months old (he’s now fifteen)!  I’m convinced he understands that it gives me a break from walking him immediately after chemo.  Dogs definitely sense when something is wrong 

Hi PattyK

I can tell you i believe yes dogs can tell when your unwell , this is not about my cancer but long before , i had a major accident long before we got our german shepard and when i was left home alone most of the time i got bored i would sit for hours wondering what to do as i was told to stay in the house unless supervised so had to wait on my wife who worked back then , so i said i want to get a dog so rang a breeder local to use who i grew up with her daughter so knew they had good dogs , they said they had some pups due but had a couple of returned 18 month old dogs did i want to meet them , we went and they said ok we will let them in the run with you to see if you like each other so in bounce our lad and his brother now brad was all over me even making me sit on thew floor so he could fuss me he would not leave me and the lady said now thats strange as he was the ladies dog and we wondered about my illness , so anyway we wanted both but they said take one because they will be better apart so we took brad home he came in ran to the bedroom where i had gone for a lay down he went under the edge of my side of the bed and never moved , he was like this his whole life even going in an ambulance with me lol yup so i strongly believe they know when we are ill , he would also know when i was low in mood and well he was more like my shadow .

We  now have 2 stray cats yes i know how the heck did you end with cats being a dog lover it was a tom and jerry moment when the beast from the east hit we had a kitten fighting the fox for the food we put out she then lived under the neighbours shed but has since moved in back then now in the house and spoiled and last year same again a ginger kitten fighting for food so she came in the porch and now in the kitchen lol yup spoiled but i think she knows i am sick ever since we had her she follows me in the garden sits by me watchign me garden and even came down to help me prune the raspberries by putting her nose in the cutters to say coem on stop lets go sit on the bench i want a fuss lol she helps me stop work lol .

Pets i do believe know we are unwell or our bodies are struggling and hence we should listen