Do animals suffer from common ailments like headaches and pulled muscles?
The commonality between human ailments and animal ailments depends on the animal. Some animals have more in common with us than others. In the cases of cats and dogs; the answer is yes. Dogs suffer headaches, allergies, coughs and colds, pulled muscles, arthritis etc. Often, the topical treatment for these is the same as for humans – just in different doses (don’t treat your animal without speaking to your vet first). Cats suffer the same things as well, but in different ways. Cats catch colds and sniffles, can have nail troubles and arthritis. The signs to watch for vary from pet to pet – but for the most part, it is common sense sort of stuff. Running nose, raspy breathing, decreased appetitite, poorly formed stool, a tendency to push their head or ear in to your hand for hard rubbing, using their paws to rub their faces, a need to be pet or massaged. For muscular or joint issues, watch for them to favor one side over another, slow down or act cautiously when jumping or climbing, etc
