Pain in companion animals
Veterinarians and animal care professionals working with companion animals are regularly responsible for recognizing and managing pain in patients. Yet pain can be difficult to identify in animals, particularly because they cannot verbally communicate what they’re experiencing. This webinar explores how understanding normal species-specific and individual behavior can help veterinarians recognize behavioral changes associated with pain in dogs and cats. Review common behavioral signs of pain and approaches for assessing pain in clinical, research, and home environments—including behavioral observation, pain scales, objective measures, and owner-reported assessment tools. The webinar also highlights the important role of pet owners in recognizing changes from an individual animal’s normal behavior and explores practical environmental modifications that can help preserve function, support activities of daily living, and promote quality of life for dogs and cats experiencing pain.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Recognize key behavioral changes associated with pain in dogs and cats.
- Describe approaches for assessing pain in companion animals.
- Identify environmental modifications that can support activities of daily living and quality of life in dogs and cats.
| Dr. Rachel Caddiell is an assistant director in AVMA’s Animal Welfare Division. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in human-animal interactions from The Ohio State University, and her master’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M University. She went on to earn her PhD in comparative biomedical sciences with a concentration in population and global medicine. She completed postdoctoral training at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Caddiell has more than a decade of experience in animal welfare research across a variety of species. Much of her work has focused on understanding how animals experience and express pain, including the use of behavioral measures to assess pain and evaluate approaches to pain management. |
