Pain in Pets: Beyond Physiology

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Chronic pain in pets concerns pet owners and veterinarians alike. Acute pain that is not appropriately addressed can evolve into chronic (long-lasting) maladaptive pain. Despite advances in veterinary medicine, there remains a gap between pain management knowledge and its execution. Veterinary clinicians can and should embrace the foundational principles of clinical bioethics, translated from human medicine, for the benefit of their patients. Pet pain is not simply a physiologic issue. By reframing companion animal pain as a bioethical issue, as described in this paper, veterinarians affirm their commitment to closing the gap between what is known and what is done for their painful patients. ABSTRACT: Animals do not speak a language humans understand, making it easy to believe that they do not experience pain the way humans do. Despite data affirming that companion animals can and do experience pain much as do humans, there remains a gap between companion animal acute pain management knowledge and its execution. Companion animal pain is not simply a physiological issue. Veterinary clinicians can and should embrace the foundational principles of clinical bioethics—respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice—translated from human medicine for the benefit of their patients. By reframing companion animal pain as a bioethical issue, as described in this paper, veterinarians affirm their commitment to closing the gap between what is known and what is done for painful companion animals. This takes pet pain beyond physiology.