Pain in the Cat - The Feline Grimace Scale

How do we know when an animal is experiencing acute pain?  As it turns out, for at least some animals like felines, a good indicator of their experience of pain can be seen in their faces.  As we humans wince or grimace when we experience pain, so do cats.  Our guest today is Dr. Paulo Steagall.  Dr. Steagall and a team of researchers working at his laboratory at the Université de Montréal veterinary teaching hospital developed the Feline Grimace Scale (www.felinegrimacescale.com), an amazing tool for assessing acute pain in cats.  This user-friendly assessment tool assists veterinary practitioners around the world in diagnosing and treating pain in cats.  But it is also helpful for those with pet cats in identifying acute pain so that proper veterinary care can be sought. 

Dr. Steagall is a Professor of Veterinary Anesthesiology and Pain Management at the City University of Hong Kong and the Université de Montréal. He is a board-certified specialist of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia and received his degree in veterinary medicine in his native country of Brazil. He is the head of a clinical research laboratory dedicated to improving pain management and animal welfare with cutting-edge research in pain assessment.  Dr. Steagall and a team of researchers working at his laboratory at the Université de Montréal veterinary teaching hospital developed the Feline Grimace Scale (www.felinegrimacescale.com), an amazing tool for assessing acute pain in cats.  Among other involvements, he is a member of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Global Pain Council, and co-chair of the WSAVA Therapeutic Guidelines Group.  He has published and lectured extensively on pain management and is the author of the book “Feline Anesthesia and Pain Management”. 

Links:

Website: www.felinegrimacescale.com

Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulo-steagall-3481291a5/

Recommendations:  https://www.felinegrimacescale.com/more-about-our-work