Assessing Pain, Improving Welfare: Insights from Dr Beatriz Monteiro


In this episode we are joined by Dr Beatriz Monteiro, to discuss in more depth the impact of pain on animal welfare. We consider the differences between acute and chronic pain, how pain impacts on all aspects of animal welfare, the use of validated pain scales such as the Feline Grimace Scale and the importance of evidence based medicine.
We talk a lot about the WSAVA and their resources on pain management, and you can find the links to these at the end of these notes.
We hope you will join The Animal Welfare Conversation.
Biography - Dr. Beatriz Monteiro DVM, PhD, PgDip, ISFMAdvCertFB, Diplomate ACAW
Dr. Monteiro received her veterinary degree from the Unesp-Botucatu followed by two internships at the University of Guelph. She has a PhD in chronic pain from the University of Montreal (UdeM), a Postgraduate Diploma in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law from the University of Edinburgh, and an Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour from the International Society of Feline Medicine. She is board-certified by the American College of Animal Welfare (ACAW).
Dr. Monteiro has acted as the Chair of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Pain Committee and as a board member of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain (IVAPM) and World Animal Protection Canada. While at UdeM, she was involved in numerous studies related to the Feline Grimace Scale. She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications, 8 book chapters and has lectured in numerous international conferences. Dr. Monteiro supports the use of science for guiding societal progress while promoting the concepts of One Welfare to improve the lives of animals and people while caring for the planet we all share.
Links and further information
2022 WSAVA Global Pain Management Guidelines: 2022 WSAVA guidelines for the recognition, assessment and treatment of pain - Monteiro - 2023 - Journal of Small Animal Practice - Wiley Online Library
2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines: 2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats* | Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
WSAVA Certificate in Pain Management: WSAVA Certificate in Pain Management - WSAVA

Vet, Medical Educator, Company Director
Dr Mary Fraser BVMS MRes PhD CertVD MAcadMEd MIoD PGCHE FHEA FRSB FRCVS
Mary has had a varied career, starting out in mixed practice, then focussing on veterinary dermatology, veterinary nursing, medical education, animal welfare, owner support and clinical decision making. She was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2017 for Meritorious Contributions to Practice and is a past Chair of the RCVS Fellowship Science Advisory Panel.
Working both as a clinician and academic, Mary has a PhD in immunological aspects of canine atopic dermatitis and the RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Dermatology, worked in referral practice, and also set up her own first opinion/referral small animal practice in rural Perthshire.
In between this, she had the opportunity to work in veterinary nursing at both FE and HE levels becoming a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Member of the Academy of Medical Educators, and alongside Simon Girling, setting up the Advanced Programme in Veterinary Nursing of Exotics a postgraduate training programme for veterinary nurses that has now been running for over 20 years and trained over 1000 vet nurses.
She is a accomplished researcher and author, with over 100 published articles, book chapters, books and papers. Areas of work include veterinary dermatology, medical education, preparing students for practice, the challenges of clinical decision making, providing better support in practice for clients with sight loss, and the application of evidence based medicine in practice.
During her time as a vet…Read More

Dr
Dr. Monteiro received her veterinary degree from the Unesp-Botucatu followed by two internships at the University of Guelph. She has a PhD in chronic pain from the University of Montreal (UdeM), a Postgraduate Diploma in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law from the University of Edinburgh, and an Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour from the International Society of Feline Medicine. She is board-certified by the American College of Animal Welfare (ACAW).
Dr. Monteiro has acted as the Chair of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Pain Committee and as a board member of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain (IVAPM) and World Animal Protection Canada. While at UdeM, she was involved in numerous studies related to the Feline Grimace Scale. She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications, 8 book chapters and has lectured in numerous international conferences. Dr. Monteiro supports the use of science for guiding societal progress while promoting the concepts of One Welfare to improve the lives of animals and people while caring for the planet we all share.
