Dental disease is the most prevalent health problem in dogs and cats, causing chronic pain that most owners fail to recognize — a major and addressable source of companion animal suffering.
Chronic dental pain in companion animals is one of the most widespread sources of preventable suffering in pets precisely because it is largely invisible to owners. Animals with significant periodontal disease still eat, still play, and still show affection — giving no obvious signal of the constant discomfort they experience. When diseased teeth are finally extracted under anesthesia, owners consistently report animals seeming more energetic, playful, and responsive afterward, revealing the degree of chronic pain they had been masking. Regular dental care — professional cleanings and home maintenance — is a fundamental welfare responsibility.