Companion Animal Pain Assessment Advances

Pain assessment in companion animals has advanced significantly through validated scales and owner-reported outcome measures. These tools improve welfare by enabling earlier and more effective pain management.

Key Facts

The Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS) is a validated tool for acute pain assessment in dogs used in clinical practice
The Feline Grimace Scale provides reliable pain assessment based on facial action units in cats
Owner-reported outcome measures allow chronic pain assessment at home, filling gaps between veterinary visits
Pain is undermedicated in companion animals because behavioural signs are subtle and owners may not recognise them
Chronic pain in cats from osteoarthritis affects approximately 40% of cats over 10 years old but is frequently undiagnosed
Multimodal pain management combining NSAIDs, adjuncts, and non-pharmacological approaches is the evidence-based standard

Welfare Considerations

Pain assessment advances are transforming companion animal welfare by enabling recognition and treatment of conditions previously missed or undertreated. The development of validated species-specific scales means that veterinary professionals and informed owners can reliably identify pain that the animal is concealing. This is particularly important for cats, who are masters of pain concealment and whose chronic conditions are frequently underdiagnosed and undertreated. Owner education about pain recognition and the normalisation of chronic pain assessment tools in annual health checks represent high-impact welfare opportunities.

What You Can Do

Learn to use the Feline Grimace Scale and equivalent dog tools to recognise pain at home
Discuss pain assessment with your vet at every visit including for routine health checks
Seek second opinions if you believe your animal is in pain but this has been dismissed
Advocate for pain assessment training to be a core component of veterinary nursing and owner education
Support research into pain management approaches for specific conditions in companion animals