Read the signs of pain

Behavioural changes in pets are not always a symptom of old age but could be chronic pain being disguised

- Nameeta Nadkarni

When we picture illness in our pets, we expect something obvious. A limp after a walk, a wound that makes us rush to the vet, or a fever. What we don't expect is the kind of illness that hides in plain sight, one that is too often brushed off as ageing.

Chronic pain is a silent epidemic among pets. It affects thousands of dogs and cats across the country, and yet it is so skillfully disguised that families may never recognise it until their animal has been suffering for years.

The silence lies in instinct. In the wild, showing pain makes an animal vulnerable. Our pets may live in comfort, but they have not lost this survival strategy. Instead of crying out, they adapt. They stop climbing stairs, avoid the sofa they once jumped on or sleep more. Families put it down to slowing down with age. In truth, these are often the first signs of a body quietly aching.