What is Pain?

According to the IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain), pain is defined as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or similar to that associated with, actual or potential tissue injury.” Pain management has been recognized as an essential component of compassionate care in canine and feline medicine, increasingly over the last 20 years.

Animals can experience various types of pain, ranging from acute to chronic pain for different reasons. However, their inability to communicate verbally poses a barrier when it comes to measuring and addressing that pain.

Significant changes in behavior serve as the primary indicators of pain in dogs and cats. This can manifest in their appetite, grooming habits, interaction with other animals and their caregivers, or their regular toileting routines.

At IVeM, we are aware of our patients' needs, which is why we consider pain management a central aspect of veterinary clinical practice. One of the challenges we face is having the best representative scoring tools to assess pain effectively.

Here are the most commonly used tools in our center:

• Glasgow Scale. This tool is validated for both dogs and cats and assesses the presence of pain through a questionnaire grouped into 6 behavioral categories for dogs and 7 for cats. Within each category, a specific score is assigned based on the severity of the pain. The evaluating professional selects the option that best describes the animal’s condition.
• Feline Grimace Scale (FGS). This technique, used for cats, interprets changes in facial expressions. It classifies, assesses, and scores five facial expressions indicative of pain in felines.
• Visual Analog Scale (VAS). This scale allows us to measure the intensity of pain described by the patient through the interpretation provided by their caregivers. It consists of a horizontal line of 10 centimeters, with “0” at one end representing no pain and “10” at the other end representing the most extreme pain.