Chronic pain in dogs is significantly underrecognized because dogs mask pain behaviorally, and effective management requires specific assessment tools and multimodal treatment approaches.
Chronic pain is the most prevalent and most undertreated welfare problem in older companion dogs. Because dogs evolved to mask weakness, they rarely limp dramatically or cry out — they simply slow down, become less playful, resist stairs, or become irritable when touched. Owners commonly interpret these as normal aging when they are signs of treatable pain. The transformation seen in dogs after effective pain management — renewed playfulness, increased social engagement, return of pre-pain behaviors — demonstrates how much suffering was present and unaddressed. Regular pain assessment using validated tools should be standard in senior dog veterinary care.