Signs of chronic pain in geriatric dogs

In this interview with dvm360 at the 2025 New York Vet Show in New York City, Monica Tarantino, DVM, MBA, cofounder of the Senior Dog Veterinary Society in Alexandra, Virginia, discusses signs of chronic pain in geriatric dogs. She notes that signs of chronic pain can be subtle and often mistaken for old age, but any behavioral changes in older pets should be brought to a veterinarian's attention.

In addition to cofounding the Senior Dog Veterinary Society, Tarantino is also the coauthor of 2 books for early career veterinarians—New Vet Jumpstart Guide GP Edition and New Vet Jumpstart ER Edition. She is also an active animal rescuer with 4 adopted dogs, 2 rescue cats, and the occasional foster.

The following is a transcript of the video, which has been lightly edited for clarity and cohesion.

Tarantino: I'm Dr Monica Tarantino. I am a veterinarian and the cofounder of the Senior Dog Veterinary Society, and we're on a mission to advance the care of elderly canines in [veterinary medicine].

dvm360: What are some subtle behavioral and physical signs of chronic pain in geriatric dogs?

I think chronic pain can vary quite a bit depending on the source and where it's coming from. We have a lot of the classic signs such as limping, an intermittent limp, having difficulty getting up from sitting to standing, maybe some reluctance to go for a walk, or some sort of evidence that maybe something in their musculoskeletal system is bothering them. Oftentimes, the signs of chronic pain are going to be very subtle, [and it might] look like a change that a lot of people might say is just due to old age, but every single behavioral change that you're seeing in the older dog or an older pet, you want to actually bring to the attention of your veterinarian.