Pain is the most significant welfare issue for aging dogs but is chronically under-recognised and under-treated. Understanding pain signs in older dogs transforms their quality of life.
Chronic pain in aging dogs is a welfare emergency hidden in plain sight. The stoic, mask-pain-to-survive evolutionary heritage of dogs means that an animal suffering significantly from arthritis may appear to its owner as simply slowing down with age — the natural process of getting old. This perception is both understandable and wrong: reduced activity, stiffness, reluctance to climb stairs, and changed sleeping patterns are pain behaviours, not inevitable aging changes that must simply be accepted. The welfare transformation available through evidence-based pain management for arthritic dogs is dramatic: animals whose owners thought they were simply aging gracefully often show marked activity and engagement increases within weeks of starting appropriate treatment. Regular veterinary geriatric assessment using pain scoring tools is the most important welfare intervention for aging companion dogs.