This chapter identifies the signs of pain in dogs and cats as well as the management of that pain from a practical point of view in practice. It focuses only on the neurophysiology of pain. Pain can be divided into acute and chronic. Acute pain is a defence mechanism that helps prevent further injury or damage to an area that has already suffered insult. Chronic or maladapted pain has no physiological function. The chapter discusses the signs of pain in dogs and cats. It next talks about the physiology of pain. Pain is best managed using a multimodal approach. This may be achieved by using a combination of drugs and other techniques that act in different ways. Drugs that act on pain include opioids and non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Often the selection of NSAIDs or other analgesic medication is arrived at randomly by the veterinary surgeon.