How to Identify Pain in Horses, Birds, and Exotics
Posted - March 5, 2025
By Carol Bryant, Professional Pet Blogger
Knowing how to identify pain in animals like horses, birds, and exotics can be challenging. Unlike pain in dogs and cats, some animals tend to mask their pain more. Understanding subtle physical and behavioral changes can help pet parents stay one step ahead.
Amazingly, although animals may express pain symptoms differently, they experience the same pain signs as humans (1). This means animals such as horses, birds, and exotics feel the same pain we do, but they may not show it.
Pain is highly subjective and is categorized in several types. We’ll discuss the types of pain and the signs and symptoms to look for in pets other than dogs and cats. If you missed our pain symptoms in dogs and cats piece, we will link to it below.
Types of Pain in Pets
There are five different types of pain that both people and animals experience.
Acute pain: Examples of acute or sudden pain including a burn or stomach upset.
Chronic pain: Chronic pain is ongoing and can be caused by things like arthritis or cancer.
Nociceptive pain: Things like fractures, burns, or sprains that cause tissue damage can cause throbbing, sharp acute pain called nociceptive.
Neuropathic pain: When pain from nerve damage occurs, which is usually chronic, this is called neuropathic pain.
Functional pain: When there is no obvious injury or bodily damage, functional pain may occur.
If your horse, bird, or exotic animal isn’t feeling well, they may exhibit any of the following symptoms.
Signs of Pain in Horses
“The most important thing in assessing a horse for pain is knowing what normal looks like,” says Dr. Nancy Diehl for The Horse magazine (2). Here are some things to watch for:
- Head movements. Head nodding when moving is a sign that a horse is feeling lame.
- Heart rate. A higher heart rate can be associated with pain. Have your veterinarian teach you how to take your horse’s heart rate with a stethoscope or through feeling the pulse.
- Behavioral changes. Agitation, restlessness, pacing or pawing at the ground, or lethargy.
- Body language. Flared nostrils, rapid breathing, unusual postures, and tail flicking.
- Vocalizing. Sometimes horses may grunt, whinny, or groan if they feel pain.
- Outward physical symptoms. Horses who grind their teeth, refuse to eat, or seem to shift their weight to one side may be experiencing pain.
Signs of Pain in Birds
Birds tend to show pain differently than other animals. By hiding their pain as an instinctive behavior, they feel protected from predators. Here are things to watch for in birds:
- Behavioral changes. When a bird feels pain, it may not want to fly or play. They may become more or less vocal, and seem to be irritable. Some birds may become aggressive if the pain is unbearable.
- Changes in posture. If your bird starts puffing out or fluffing their feathers, they may be trying to conserve heat or feeling uncomfortable. A hunched posture may indicate internal discomfort. Birds who won’t fly to their perch may not be able to do so or they have pain.
- Appetite and drinking changes. Birds who eat less or stop eating is a sign something isn’t right. If oral pain is involved, they may have issues swallowing or will drop food.
- Physical signs. Rapid or shallow breathing, swollen or red areas of the body, or refusing to use a limb are signs of pain in birds.
- Isolation behavior. If your bird isn’t interested in being near you or other birds, they may be uncomfortable.
Signs of Pain in Exotic and Small Animals
Animals including guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, rats, ferrets, monkeys, hedgehogs, and chinchillas can be tricky as well when it comes to signs of pain. Here are some things to watch for:
- Body language. This includes everything from hunched posture, limbs tucked beneath their body, curling up, limping, dragging limbs, or sitting with the head lowered.
- Appetite and weight changes. Animals will stop eating or drinking, may lose weight, or have difficulty eating or chewing.
- Vocalizations. Squeaking or grunting from smaller animals like guinea pigs or rabbits may be a sign of pain. Bruxism, or teeth grinding, may be a sign of pain in rabbits.
- Cardiac or breathing changes. Pain can cause difficulty breathing while pale mucous membranes (especially in small pets and reptiles) can indicate poor circulation or pain.
- Hiding. Exotics may hide more than usual or avoid human contact. Guinea pigs, for example, may withdraw from other guinea pigs and people.
- Outward physical signs. If your small or exotic animal is less active, appears sluggish, or stops grooming themselves, they may be in pain.
ZYMOX Products to Have On Hand
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Pet parents of horses, exotics, and small animals can stay a step ahead by keeping a few ZYMOX products on stand-by.
These include:
ZYMOX Enzymatic Relief for Hide and Hoof Conditions: The Equine Defense Enzyme Topical Spray and Equine Defense Topical Cream provide soothing relief to wounds, cuts, abrasions, irritations, and girth sores. Both products are free of antibiotics and rely on the patented LP3 Enzyme System.
ZYMOX Avian Care Solutions: Two products all bird owners should keep handy are the ZYMOX Avian Care Topical Solution and Avian Care Topical Spray. Designed for all birds, they support healthy skin and plumage to help soothe irritated skin, pecking sores, wounds, bumblefoot, and more. Like all ZYMOX products, they are non-stinging, antibiotic-free, and include the LP3 Enzyme System.
ZYMOX Small Animal and Exotic Products: Support healthy skin, ears, and more with the ZYMOX Small Animal and Exotic topical solution and topical spray. A small amount goes a long way for ear infections, abrasions, ringworm, urine scald, and more. All ZYMOX products are veterinarian-recommended so pet parents can feel good using them.
Subtle changes in an animal’s behavior may be an indicator of something more serious, including pain. Establish your pet’s normal baseline so if anything changes, you are prepared to take them to the veterinarian. As promised, here’s our link to recognizing signs of pain in dogs and cats.
Here’s to good health and pain-free pets!
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