We all want our pets to be comfy, so relieving their pain is critical. But what if you don’t know what’s wrong? Your pet yelps at even a gentle touch in one area. Or maybe everything seems to bother him.

He may be suffering from a puzzling condition called neuropathic pain. It results from damage to the nerves or spinal cord due to injury or disease.

One example is phantom pain some pets experience after an amputation. They “feel” pain from a leg that’s gone. For others, spinal cord damage may cause pain in parts of the body that are not actually harmed.

Because pets can’t describe it, neuropathic pain is tough to diagnose. Affected animals may yelp when a spot is touched, limp, chew at a specific area or have skin spasms. If your pet shows any of these signs, it’s time to ask your veterinarian to help find the source and provide relief.