Cancer is among the leading causes of death in older dogs and cats. Evidence-based pain management, palliative care, and quality of life assessment can significantly improve welfare for animals with cancer throughout the course of their illness.
Cancer in companion animals presents a welfare challenge that combines acute pain management with longer-term quality of life decisions. Veterinary oncology has advanced dramatically, offering surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy options that were unavailable a decade ago — but with these options comes the responsibility of honest quality of life assessment throughout treatment. The welfare-centred approach to companion animal cancer prioritises pain control as non-negotiable: an animal in untreated cancer pain is suffering preventably, and analgesic provision should precede and accompany all treatment decisions. Beyond pain management, the question of whether treatment is extending comfortable life or prolonging suffering requires ongoing honest evaluation using validated quality of life tools. Early detection through routine veterinary screening significantly improves treatment options and welfare outcomes.