Updated at: 14-06-2022 - By: Jane Brody

When your dog starts screaming out of nowhere, it can be frustrating and scary, especially if you do not know the cause. You start wondering whether to stop everything and rush the dog to a vet, or take it into your arms for a comforting cuddle, or think of it as an attention-seeking gesture and ignore it. Whatever the case, a dog’s scream is not an everyday occurrence, and you should not ignore it.

Why Did The Dog Scream

Instead, you should assess both the environment surrounding the dog and the dog itself until you find out why your dog is exhibiting such behavior. If you cannot think of anything that might be causing the dog to scream, and if it does not stop after giving it time to, you should immediately seek advice from a vet.

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Things That Would Make Your Dog Scream

The following are factors are the most common causes of the dog screaming.

 Pain

The most common cause of a dog screaming is pain. The pain could be in any part of the body due to an illness, injury, bites, a bee sting, and many other causes. Shaking could also follow the screaming, especially with dogs used to too much babying. Before you take the dog to the vet, you should check it for any injuries or ants on its skin.

Poison Ingestion

Poison ingestion of any kind can lead to extreme sickness and pain. A dog going through a poisoning episode may scream, shake, and look scared. The most common poisoning toxins that dogs ingest include nicotine, chocolate, and xylitol. If you suspect your dog is screaming from poison ingestion, you should contact your pet’s vet for a quick emergency visit.

Fear or Trauma

The assumption of many people is that fear and anxiety are the same things. However, a dog can suffer from anxiety without being fearful when faced with something that triggers a past traumatic experience. Some dogs react to such triggers by going all quiet and showing extreme fear, while others react by screaming or yelping.

Muscle and Joint Pains

Other pains as bad for humans as they are for dogs, are muscle and joint pains. The most common joint and muscle conditions include degenerative joint diseases, myelopathy, and arthritis that may cause a dog to scream or yell when they get up to walk. A pain management plan from the vet will relieve the pain.

Anxiety

Dogs with a softer temperament are more prone to anxiety than the less temperamental dogs. Anxiety in dogs stems from the surrounding environmental factors, and it can lead to screaming, yelling, and shaking. Once the environment goes back to normalcy, anxiety in the dog lessens.

What to Do If the Dog Starts Screaming

Why Did The Dog Scream

The first thing to do if your dog starts screaming is to assess the situation surrounding your pet. If it is fear or anxiety, try to calm the dog without stress or worry about the situation. Calming the dog is not an easy thing to especially if you do not know what the problem is. Therefore, if it is too hard for you, do not hesitate to seek advice from the vet.

Suppose you feel the problem, causing the screaming is much more than anxiety or fear. In that case, your dog could require immediate medical attention, and it would be wise to contact the veterinarian fast.

A vet will carry out a full assessment to determine the screaming cause that may include diagnostic tests. Treatment plans may consist of surgery, pain medication, or other therapies such as natural supplements and anxiety medications.

Wrapping It Up

It is devastating for everyone around a dog that starts screaming. It is even more frustrating if no one around the dog can tell what the cause of the scream is. The first thing you should try to do is to calm the dog down to see if the screaming will stop. If calming fails to work, contact the veterinarian immediately to seek help.

Paying regular visits to the veterinarian may also help catch some of the issues, such as muscle and joint pains before they get out of hand. Early treatment plans to rid the dog of any underlying problems means you will have a happy dog around all the time.

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