Veterinarians frequently hold consistent views about which breeds are more or less sensitive to pain. However, these perceptions have not been strongly supported by scientific evidence. To explore this gap, Caddiell et al. (2023) measured pain sensitivity thresholds across 10 dog breeds while also analyzing veterinarians’ breed-based pain ratings.
The study recruited 149 healthy adult dogs from breeds traditionally rated as high (e.g., Chihuahua, German Shepherd, Maltese, Siberian Husky), average (e.g., Border Collie, Boston Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier), or low (e.g., Golden Retriever, Pitbull, Labrador Retriever) in pain sensitivity. Pain thresholds were measured using quantitative sensory testing (QST) methods, while behavior was assessed via owner questionnaires and emotional reactivity tests.
Results showed that breeds did differ in pain thresholds across QST methods. However, veterinarians’ ratings explained very little of this variation. Interestingly, certain behavioral traits—such as how dogs approached strangers—were linked to veterinarians’ perceptions of pain sensitivity. This suggests that behavioral cues, rather than actual biological thresholds, may influence professional beliefs.
The findings underline a key clinical issue: misaligned beliefs may affect the recognition and treatment of canine pain. By highlighting biological variation in pain sensitivity across breeds, this research calls for deeper investigation into the mechanisms behind these differences and stresses the importance of evidence-based pain management in veterinary practice.
Source: Caddiell, R. M., Cunningham, R. M., White, P., Lascelles, B., & Gruen, M. (2023). Pain sensitivity differs between dog breeds but not in the way veterinarians believe. Frontiers in Pain Research, 4. Published June 26, 2023.
