Chronic pain in dogs is significantly underrecognised and undertreated, with welfare implications across a range of conditions including osteoarthritis, dental disease, and chronic otitis that affect millions of companion dogs.
Dogs with unrecognised chronic pain experience persistent suffering that manifests as reduced activity, reluctance to use stairs, disrupted sleep, and reduced interaction with owners. These changes are often attributed to natural aging rather than treatable pain. Owners who receive no guidance on pain recognition fail to seek treatment for years of preventable suffering. Chronic pain causes changes in mood and cognition, with chronically painful dogs showing increased anxiety and reduced positive engagement with their environment. Prompt recognition and multimodal pain management dramatically improve quality of life.