Dental disease is the most common health problem in companion dogs and cats, affecting up to 80% of animals over 3 years old. Chronic dental pain is a major but often unrecognized welfare burden.
Companion animal dental welfare suffers from an identification problem: animals hide pain effectively, so chronic dental disease may not be recognized until advanced stages. The behavioral improvement owners report after dental treatment - their pets become livelier, more playful, more affectionate - retrospectively reveals how much the animal was suffering beforehand. Regular veterinary dental assessment and appropriate home care starting from puppy or kitten hood can prevent much of this suffering. The welfare calculus includes both the direct suffering of dental disease and the welfare considerations of repeated anesthesia for treatment - prevention is strongly preferable.