Dog Chronic Pain Recognition and Management

Chronic pain in dogs is widely underdiagnosed and undertreated, requiring owner education, validated assessment tools, and multimodal management approaches.

Key Facts

Chronic pain from osteoarthritis affects an estimated 20% of adult dogs.
Dogs rarely vocalise chronic pain; behavioural signs including reduced activity are the primary indicators.
Validated chronic pain assessment tools including the Helsinki Chronic Pain Index aid diagnosis.
Multimodal management combining NSAIDs, physiotherapy, and weight management outperforms single treatments.
New treatments including anti-NGF monoclonal antibody therapy (frunevetmab) offer improved options.

Welfare Considerations

Chronic pain in dogs causes ongoing suffering that significantly reduces quality of life when unrecognised and untreated. The stoic nature of dogs and the gradual onset of conditions like osteoarthritis mean owners often attribute reduced activity to ageing rather than pain. Regular veterinary assessments, use of validated owner-completed pain questionnaires, and proactive multimodal pain management dramatically improve welfare. The emergence of new drug classes offers improved treatment options for dogs intolerant of traditional NSAIDs.

What You Can Do

Complete annual validated pain assessment questionnaires for dogs over seven years of age.
Never attribute reduced activity in ageing dogs to normal ageing without veterinary assessment.
Ask your vet about multimodal pain management rather than relying on a single intervention.
Consider physiotherapy and hydrotherapy as adjuncts to pharmaceutical pain management.
Ask about newer anti-NGF therapies if your dog has renal disease limiting NSAID use.