In this Pain Awareness Month special, Amber Weinrich (RVN, Nupsala Account Manager) speaks with Meg Brady (RVN, Nupsala Senior Account Manager) about recognising pain in dogs and how subtle behaviour changes can be key indicators. They explore how pain influences behaviour, how vets and owners can work together to detect it, and which clinical tools are available to support diagnosis and monitoring.
Meg discusses the link between pain and problem behaviours, the “ladder of aggression,” and concepts such as trigger stacking, central sensitisation, and owner perception of pain in younger vs. older dogs. This episode highlights the importance of asking the right questions, using structured assessment tools, and revisiting pain as a possible underlying cause when behavioural modifications are unsuccessful.
References discussed:
- Mills, D. S. et al. (2020). Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs. Animals (Basel). 10. 2. P318.
- Shepherd, K. Ladder of aggression. In BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioral Medicine; Horwitz, D.F., Mills, D.S., Eds.; BSAVA: Gloucester, UK, 2009; Chapter 2 p13–16.
- DogMA (Liverpool University) https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/life-course-and-medical-sciences/research/dogma/
- Brown DC, Boston RC, Coyne JC, et al. (2013). Ability of the canine brief pain inventory to detect response to treatment in dogs with osteoarthritis. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 233. P1278–83.
- Demirtas, A. et al. (2023). Dog owners’ recognition of pain-related behavioral changes in their dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 62. P39-46
- Mills, DS, Coutts, FM & McPeake, KJ. (2024). Behavior Problems Associated with Pain and Paresthesia. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 54. 1. P55-69
- Mondino, A. et al. (2023). Development and validation of a sleep questionnaire, SNoRE 3.0, to evaluate sleep in companion dogs. Scientific reports. [Online] 13 (1), 13340–13340.
- Walton MB, Cowderoy E, Lascelles D, et al. (2013). Evaluation of construct and criterion validity for the ’Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs’ (LOAD) clinical metrology instrument and comparison to two other instruments. PLoS One. 8. e58125.