Katharina Buczek
“Vet here. This is the ‘praying position.’ If prolonged or suddenly frequent, it is indicative of abdominal pain, which has many causes,” commented one vet.
“I am a vet tech. Doing this when they stand up or wake up is normal. But, when they stay in this position, it usually means the dog is in pain,” added a vet tech.
The TikToker also created a follow-up video to drive home her point that this behavior may be normal for some dogs. But, if it is unusual, it is likely a sign of distress.
“If your dog starts doing this out of nowhere, then get it checked. The position that Barley was doing was the very first indicator. I just had no idea what it meant,” the woman said.
“So, everybody saying that it is a stretch or their dog does this every day, that’s great. I wish this were just a stretch, but it was out of nowhere, prolonged, and repeated. I could tell that it was out of the ordinary,” she continued.
The woman explained how Barley began engaging in the “prayer pose” last November and, after doing research, this sign was commonly associated with stretching and being playful.
“I ended up brushing it off because nothing else was happening, and he seemed fine. I wish so bad that I had taken it more seriously and trusted my gut,” the woman said.
Barley has since been diagnosed with stage five lymphoma, and the TikToker hopes to spread awareness of this behavioral change.
“I am absolutely not trying to scare you. I just wish I would have acted sooner,” the woman finished.
This follow-up TikTok reached another five hundred thousand people and gained nearly fifteen thousand likes.
After hearing the woman’s explanation, commenters were much more understanding and thankful to learn about the possible cancer sign.
