Scientific advances in pig pain recognition have transformed understanding of how common husbandry procedures affect welfare and how pain should be managed.
The routine performance of painful procedures on piglets without analgesia reflected historical assumptions that neonatal animals have diminished pain sensitivity, now thoroughly refuted by neuroscience. Pain grimace scales adapted for pigs enable objective assessment of pain intensity from facial muscle movements, providing a non-invasive monitoring tool. Post-operative pain management extends beyond the procedure period to address the 24-48 hours of elevated cortisol and behavioral pain indicators following castration. Immunocastration, tail-biting prevention through enrichment, and genetic selection reducing tooth sharpness offer alternatives that eliminate the welfare need for painful procedures rather than simply managing the pain they cause.