Farmed Animals

Chronic Pain Management in Livestock

Chronic pain is widespread in farm animals but receives far less attention than acute pain despite its significant welfare impact.

Key Facts

Lameness in dairy cows, which affects up to 25 percent of herds, causes significant chronic pain
Arthritis is common in older breeding sows and is rarely treated
Chronic mastitis causes persistent udder pain in affected dairy cows
Musculoskeletal problems in broilers cause persistent pain throughout the growing period
Chronic pain in livestock is underdiagnosed because animals mask pain and assessment is challenging

Welfare Considerations

Chronic pain is a hidden welfare epidemic in farm animals. Unlike acute pain from procedures or injuries, chronic pain persists over weeks or months and is often masked by animals whose survival instincts suppress overt pain expression. Improved pain assessment tools, reduced incidence through better management, and routine pain management protocols are all urgently needed.

What You Can Do

Support welfare standards that include mandatory chronic pain monitoring protocols
Choose products from farms with documented low chronic pain indicators
Advocate for affordable, approved analgesics for long-term pain management in livestock
Support research into species-specific chronic pain assessment methods