Goats are stoic animals who mask pain, making validated pain assessment tools essential for recognizing and treating conditions including caseous lymphadenitis, foot rot, and post-procedural pain.
Goat pain assessment requires understanding the species' masking behavior: unlike companion animals that may vocalize or seek human attention when in pain, goats in social groups typically maintain proximity to the group and continue moving despite significant pain. Validated pain scales provide systematic assessment of postural changes, facial expressions, and behavioral modifications that are detectable by trained observers. Pain management gaps in goat husbandry - particularly around routine procedures like disbudding and castration performed without analgesia - represent significant welfare deficits that evidence-based protocols can address. Agricultural veterinary education that emphasizes goat pain recognition and management improves welfare outcomes across the large global goat population.