Do animals feel pain as much as humans do?

Question

It seems as though animals are very resilient.

I can hit my dog whenever he does something bad, and then pet him and he doesnt seem to whince like he has a bruise, but if I were to do the same thing to my wife, she will pull away when anyone touches a bruise, whether gently or not.

Do animals just not feel pain like humans?

Ok. Let me rephrase.

My moms dog got run over by a car. It was up running around after about 2 or 3 days of nurturing. If the same happened to a person, they would be out for weeks.

I don't doubt animals feel pain. But why do they recover or show less signs of it. They dont whince or whine as much as humans. Why?

And yeah, I smack my dog when he eats his own poop, or when he snaps at someone or won't quit barking. I only smack my wife when she tells me to.

Answer 1

I won't go into detail on this one because I feel a confession of both animal and human abuse does not warrant an answer. Suffice to say yes, animals do feel pain.

Answer 2

I don't see any reason that animals would feel significantly less pain than humans. The difference is consciousness, I think. Dogs and cats are not conscious of the concept of pain -- for them, it just is. We are aware of the causes and ramifiactions of pain. We know when to expect pain. Also, we have come to expect assistance and pain relief, whereas the dog or cat still feels the need to function as well and as quickly as possible.

I would say however, that if your mom's dog had gotten a broken bone, he would have been less frisky a day or so later than he was.

And just as humans differ greatly in their response to pain, dogs and cats differ not only by individual terperament, but by breed.

Answer 3

Animals are definitely more stoic then humans. More able to hide their pain. After being hit by a car, dogs can be up running around and also have internal injuries. Animals also bruise just like humans- and it is definitely painful to touch their bruises- just like with humans. They just show their pain differently. When your dog whips his head around to stare at you when you hit a sore spot that is way of telling you 'ow that hurt' or if he snaps at you and tries to bite. Fortunately- it sounds like you aren't hitting your dog hard enough to bruise him- which is good- you shouldn't be! You wouldn't necessarily bruise a child when you spank him- same concept with animals.

Answer 4

I think they do but instinct kicks in. For example, a prey animal such as a rabbit can't afford to look weak or disabled because it basically puts a big red target on them saying 'pick me'. Neither hunters or prey animal can afford to spend days or weeks getting some RR or they'll starve. While some animal groups will tend to a sick member they will only do it for so long, after that it's survival of the fittest.

Answer 5

This is only my opinion because I'm no dog whisperer or veterinarian. I believe that animals DO feel pain but they seem to know that rest is the best remedy for a cure. They know to go to a corner and curl up til their body feels better. Humans feel pain and verbalize it, moreover, we continue to live our lives as if we had no pain by taking meds that enable us to function, therefore we heal slower.
Why does your dog eat poop?

Answer 6

I'm glad you rephrased your question..
Pain like that I dunno.. My lab has a bad knee and it hurts more when the weather gets colder, but when I spank him for getting in the trash he just looks at me like ok when do you leave so I can get back in the trash... I have kinda wonder the same thing.

I also wonder if it has something to do with them not being able to tell time.. Example the difference between you gone for 5 min to 10 hours..

Answer 7

Since preditors go after the sick, weak, & injured, Their natural instinct is to not show pain or signes of weakness b/c in the wild if they did, they'd have no chance of surviving from preditors

Answer 8

same i think. when i get back from supermarket i feel so frozen since today is very cold, i also saw a dog in front of a house and he seems frozen too till his body kept shaking. i think it's a matter of a different language. We can say: it is painful, animal too i think... but we don't know their languages.

Answer 9

i hope your dog bites you and then your wife shoots you. i tell you what. stab yourself, then ask the dog if that would have hurt as bad to him. i hope you are neutered. if not what is your address so i can call the authorities.

next this message is for your wife. leave, fast, take the dog with you.

Answer 10

of course aniimals feel pain! why would u ask such a thing? they are living things so they feel emothions like we do. i suppose they heal faster since they are more adapted to the wild and have ...i dunno how to say it, but maybe they're stronger than us in a way. we express our feelings easily but we can't communicate with animals. maybe your dog thinks that petting is your way of forgivness...i dont know. sorry if im babbling. this is my opinion.