Ongoing pain in dogs and cats presents specific challenges in terms of diagnosis, evaluation of pain, and response to treatment. Musculoskeletal pain represents a significant disease burden in veterinary species, with 20% of adult dogs and over 22% of adult cats demonstrating radiographic signs of degenerative joint disease.

Wound healing complications are often difficult to deal with, as there are so many factors involved in the wound healing process and an almost infinite variety of wound types. Furthermore, the complication may be as a result of surgical intervention, and there may be as a result of surgical intervention, and there may be extra pressure from an owner for the problem to be resolved, as it may be perceived as being the fault of the veterinary surgeon. There is no generic formula or ‘recipe’ that can be applied to any one type of wound. This chapter finishes with a description of the causes and treatment of some wound complications, with specific guidance. It is important to remember that these general principles , discussed in the first section, can be applied to any type of wound. The following sections are covered: Why and how do complications occur?; Managing complications of conservative (non-surgical) wound management; and Managing complications of surgical wound management. Case examples: Management of a non-healing wound; Management of a wound dehiscence and Management of a persistent seroma.