Companion Animals

Companion Animal Pain Recognition

Recognizing pain in companion animals is challenging but critical — animals instinctively hide signs of weakness.

Key Facts

Dogs and cats evolved to conceal pain — obvious pain signs indicate severe suffering
Subtle behavioral changes like reduced activity, changed sleeping positions and altered gait indicate pain
Grimace scales for cats have been validated and are now used clinically
Chronic pain is significantly underdiagnosed in older companion animals

Welfare Considerations

The evolutionary tendency to hide pain means that companion animals routinely suffer in silence. Owners and even veterinarians miss chronic pain because animals compensate behaviorally until pain becomes severe. Greater owner education about subtle pain signs, combined with proactive pain assessment at veterinary visits, would identify and treat significant amounts of hidden suffering in companion animals.

What You Can Do

Learn to recognize subtle signs of pain in your pet species
Request pain assessment at every veterinary visit
Ask about multimodal pain management options for conditions like arthritis
Advocate for pain assessment training in veterinary education