Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misunderstanding when it comes to “aggression” in animals.They get blacklisted as aggressive, fearful, and even mean, when in reality only a portion of these animals have those behavioral traits. It is my firm belief that an animal is not born aggressive. Aggression is a result of a variety of factors, including genetics, environment, diet, socialization, daily activity, etc. One would be hard pressed to find an aggressive puppy having just been born. That being said, I do find that inexplicable aggression in animals is often a symptom rather than a behavior.
Pain is one of the biggest factors in determining behavior in an animal. An aggressive or reactive animal can easily become that way when they are hurting. Think about it from a different perspective. When humans don’t feel well, are we generally very chipper or do we tend to be a little more short-tempered and melancholy? More likely we become the latter. Why would our animals behave any differently? Pain, especially chronic pain, can easily sway an animal’s emotional well-being and turn them “mean”.
I work on several animals that I am told are mean, aggressive, and reactive. When they begin to get adjusted, however, their personalities often begin to shine through and these other traits begin to disappear. An animal in pain is one that is unpredictable and one that will go into fight or flight mode, even when they are in a comfortable and safe environment. Once the pain is gone, the brain and body can relax which allows emotions to stabilize. 
There are a variety of methods out there to help these anAggressive Dogimals become more stable, including medication. While medications do work at regulating hormonal imbalances, they will not fix the reason the hormones are imbalanced nor do they remove the source of pain. Through alternative therapies, such as chiropractic and acupuncture, animals can be given a second chance without having to live their lives in a drugged state. When the source of pain is structural, chiropractic adjustments can help remove the structural imbalances and bring the body back towards normalcy. They are gentle, precise, and may be exactly what your pet needs if he or she hasn’t been acting right lately. 
Things to look for include abnormal crying out, yelping, snipping, mouthing, or nibbling, attacking or going after other household members, lethargy, not eating, and lack of enthusiasm for things he or she once loved. If your animal is exhibiting any of these signs on a semi-regular basis they are likely in pain and could definitely use a once over!
Photo Credit:
A Belgian Shepherd Protection Dog with 102 Theatre Military Working Dog Support Unit in Afghanistan via photopin (license)
Aggressive Dog via photopin (license)
07-12 Miku is auditioning for the Town Musicians of Bremen via photopin (license)
LENNY KOSTET MEINEN FINGER Die erst Nacht ist überstanden. Lenny hat ganz lieb in seinem Körbchen vor meinem Bett geschlafen via photopin (license)