Pain management in veterinary medicine has improved dramatically over recent decades, but significant gaps remain — particularly for routine procedures, species other than cats and dogs, and cost-constrained contexts.
The gap between best-practice pain management and routine clinical care is wide across species. Companion animals benefit from relatively sophisticated analgesic protocols, but farm animals undergoing castration, dehorning, or beak trimming often receive no pain relief at all — primarily for cost reasons. Exotic species suffer from both knowledge gaps and access to appropriate medications. Advocating for pain management as a veterinary standard, not an optional extra, is central to animal welfare progress across all species.