How does chronic pain impact the lives of dogs: an investigation of factors that are associated with pain using the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid

Malkani, R., Paramasivam, S., & Wolfensohn, S. (2024). How does chronic pain impact the lives of dogs: An investigation of factors that are associated with pain using the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 11, 1414314. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1414314

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Chronic pain significantly affects the wellbeing of dogs, yet its full impact on quality of life is not well understood. This study used the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) to identify factors associated with behavioral changes in dogs experiencing musculoskeletal pain. Seventy-six assessments were conducted on 46 clinically diagnosed dogs and compared with 143 healthy controls. Dogs with chronic pain showed significantly poorer scores across nearly all physical, psychological, environmental, and procedural domains. Strong correlations were found between pain severity and reduced mobility, increased fearfulness, and environmental stress sensitivity. Logistic regression identified fear/anxiety frequency, stress response, reduced engagement with enrichment, and limited social interaction as key predictors of chronic pain. Findings suggest behavioral changes often precede visible physical symptoms, and relying solely on physical signs may delay diagnosis. Integrating AWAG into routine assessments may support earlier intervention and improved welfare outcomes.

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© 2024 Malkani, Paramasivam and Wolfensohn. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).