Cynthia Maro Pittsburgh

About Dr. Cynthia Maro

Dr. Cynthia Maro is a Pittsburgh-based veterinarian with over three decades of industry experience. Dr. Maro first found her passion for veterinary medicine at a young age where she grew up on a farm and assisted vets. During that time, she was able to gain experience caring for a variety of animals such as dogs, cats, chickens, horses, ducks, chickens, rabbits, and more.

Over the course of Dr. Maro’s veterinary career, she has founded several successful practices including Ellwood Animal Hospital, College Hill Animal Clinic, Center Animal Clinic, Chippewa Animal Hospital, and Cranberry Holistic Pet Care. Dr. Maro has also remained active in her field by contributing to veterinary publications, serving as an expert witness, mentoring veterinary professionals, and fundraising for the Beaver, Butler, and Lawrence County Humane Societies. She currently serves on COE Board of the American Holistic Veterinary Association, and served on the Boards of AVCA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters Advisory Board, and helps facilitate school and nurse home-pet visitation programs within her area.

Dr. Maro has built a reputation on her commitment to helping improve health outcomes for pets of all types and developing innovative solutions to a variety of pressing health conditions. Even after decades of experience, Dr. Maro receives immense enjoyment from seeing the light in pet owners eyes when they see that their pet is responding positively to the care and support that they receive. In her practices, Dr. Cynthia Maro is known for upholding strong standards, maintaining top of the line veterinary technology, and empowering her teams to bring the highest quality pet care possible for animals of all species.

What Are Signs of Pain
in Pets?

For the first eight years of her experience as a veterinarian, Dr. Cynthia Maro of Pittsburgh treated many emergency patients. Dr. Maro treated over 40 pets per day and up to 30% were seen for acute injuries. Injuries faced by pets brought into the practice were diverse, with some having been hit by cars, bitten by local wildlife, injured by other pets, suffering from gunshot wounds, imbedded fishhooks, spinal cord and orthopedic injuries, and even archery accidents.

Notably, only one of the injured patients that Dr. Cynthia Maro saw came into the office visibly distressed and crying in pain, and it was a dog suffering from a severe spinal cord injury called myelomalacia- a painful condition where the spinal cord softens often due to a lack of blood supply. This points to both how rare it is for animals to show obvious signs of pain and the importance of pet owners and veterinarians alike being mindful of what to look for when they believe something may be wrong.

Why is Looking for The Signs so Important?

Dr. Maro finds that owners of often very shocked when their pets are diagnosed with a serious condition because they have a difficult time wrapping their heads around how their pets were able to remain calm despite being in pain.

Simply put, a lack of signs that we would usually associate with being in pain is not evidence that a pet is pain-free. And, since animals cannot easily communicate to us that they are feeling discomfort, veterinarians have had to learn how to look for signs that something may be amiss. If we are not vigilant and attentive, our animals can go weeks or months before receiving the proper treatment.

What Are Warning Signs to Report to a Veterinarian?

While pets may not be able to easily communicate pain to us like humans can, there are certainly warning signs to look out for that could point to an acute injury or discomfort.

A few common signs that should prompt an owner to report to a trusted veterinarian are:

1. Getting up and down more slowly than usual (hesitancy to sit or stand)
2. Change in eating/ drinking habits or posture.
3. Decreased appetite (skipping meals or refusing treats)
4. Hiding
5. Overgrooming
6. Reluctance to jump up or off of high surfaces.
7. Refusal or difficulty going up or down stairs.
8. Change in litter box habits/ accidents in the house.
9. Drooling, panting, pacing, or other signs of anxiousness.
10. Becoming aggressive; biting or snapping (especially at a familiar person or another pet)
11. Squinting eyes
12. Holding ears or head down/ pulling away when you attempt to pet head or face.

Why Do Pets Hide Their Injuries?

Dr. Cynthia Maro of Pittsburgh mentions that there are a few reasons why pets are shyer about showing that they are injured. The most commonly cited is that they have evolved with survival instincts that decrease their tendency to show pain in an obvious way. Experts suggest that showing pain as an animal in the wild is a non-survival trait, meaning that animals that display pain are much more likely to be preyed on by larger predators. As a whole, this also makes them and their groups much more vulnerable to attack.

Realizing that your pet comes from a long line of survivors makes it a lot easier to understand why your cat is not sprawling in front of you meowing when he has a bladder issue. He may, instead, pee in the tub or on the carpet because the stone is causing bleeding and burning, managing her pain by trying to avoid the place where they first experienced the pain— the litter box. In this way, figuring out that your pet is experiencing pain and discomfort may require a bit of detective work to get to the bottom of their bizarre behaviors.

Keys to Helping Your Pet

Luckily for pet owners, there are a variety of options for helping your pet. Routine checkups are a good first line of defense, but they naturally may miss certain afflictions if they are not wholistic visits.
Dr. Cynthia Maro of Pittsburgh maintains that, if you notice that your pet is exhibiting strange behaviors, it can always help to:

1. Make a note of any irregular behaviors to share with your vet. High demand may mean there is a waitlist to get in to see your vet, so do not put off making an appointment!
2. Expect that your veterinarian will want to run a few tests such as blood tests and x-rays, even when they are not able to find the source of your pet’s pain in their office.
3. Know that pain management comes in many forms, but diagnosing the condition or the source of the issue can lead to much better pain control, elimination, or improved health outcomes.
4. Many sources of pain can be controlled through pet specific pharmaceuticals, acupuncture, natural remedies, diet change, spinal adjusting, herbs and nutraceuticals, or a combination thereof.

Interested in More Veterinary Insights from Dr. Cynthia Maro of Pittsburgh?

Dr. Cynthia Maro recognizes that her experience as a veterinarian, pet owner, and animal advocate places her in a unique position to share a variety of insights beneficial to readers as they strive to take better care of their pets.

If you would like to learn more from informative posts based on Dr. Cynthia Maro of Pittsburgh’s insights, you’ve come to the right place!
Check out the blog for information on a variety of topics such as:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Pet Care
• Professional Development for Vets
• Industry Developments, News, and Trends

Dr. Cynthia Maro – Integrative Veterinarian, Cynthia Maro, DVM, CVA, CAC, VMRT, VNAET