Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) Calculator
Assess your dog's pain severity, functional interference, and quality of life using the validated CBPI questionnaire. Track scores over time and generate reports for your veterinarian.
Dog Information
Pain Severity
Please rate your dog's pain by selecting the number that best describes your dog's pain.
Pain Interference
During the past 7 days, how much has pain interfered with your dog's:
Think about any step, curb, threshold, or elevation change your dog encounters. If your dog avoids all such surfaces, select 10.
Quality of Life
How would you rate your dog's overall quality of life?
This is a standalone measure and is not included in the pain scores above.
About the CBPI
What is the Canine Brief Pain Inventory?
The CBPI is a validated, owner-reported questionnaire used in veterinary medicine to measure chronic pain in dogs. Developed by Dr. Dorothy Cimino Brown at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, it has been extensively used in clinical trials for osteoarthritis, cancer pain, and post-surgical pain management.
The CBPI measures two distinct dimensions: pain severity (how bad the pain is) and pain interference (how much pain affects your dog's daily activities and quality of life).
How to Use This Tool
Answer each question based on your observations of your dog over the past 7 days. Try to be as honest and accurate as possible — there are no right or wrong answers. Your responses help create an objective picture of your dog's pain that you can share with your veterinarian.
For the best results, reassess every 2-4 weeks to track changes over time. Save your assessments and use the comparison feature to evaluate whether treatment is working.
Sources & Methodology
Psychometric Properties
- Internal Consistency (Cronbach's alpha): Pain Severity domain alpha = 0.95; Pain Interference domain alpha = 0.93
- Test-Retest Reliability (kappa): Pain Severity kappa = 0.73; Pain Interference kappa = 0.65
- Interpretation: High internal consistency indicates domain items correlate well. Moderate test-retest reliability suggests scores are stable over short intervals but may be influenced by actual pain fluctuations.
References
- Brown, D. C., Boston, R. C., & Coyne, J. C. (2013). Ability of the Canine Brief Pain Inventory to detect response to treatment in dogs with osteoarthritis. JAVMA, 242(12), 1654-1664.
- Brown, D. C. (2010). The canine brief pain inventory. J Vet Intern Med, 17(3), 384-388.
- Severity thresholds adapted from human Numeric Rating Scale standard interpretation (Castarlenas et al., 2016; Fillingim et al., 2016).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI)?
The CBPI is a validated veterinary questionnaire developed by Dr. Dorothy Cimino Brown at the University of Pennsylvania. It measures two dimensions of canine pain: pain severity (how bad the pain is) and pain interference (how much pain affects daily function). It is widely used in veterinary research and clinical practice.
How are the Pain Severity Score (PSS) and Pain Interference Score (PIS) calculated?
The PSS is the average (mean) of four items rating pain at its worst, least, average, and current level (each scored 0-10). The PIS is the average of six items measuring how pain affects general activity, enjoyment of life, rising, walking, running, and climbing (each scored 0-10). Both scores range from 0 to 10.
What do the severity categories mean?
Scores are classified as: 0 = No Pain, 1-3 = Mild (minimal impact, monitor), 4-6 = Moderate (noticeable impact, vet intervention recommended), 7-10 = Severe (significant impairment, urgent vet evaluation advised). These ranges are adapted from human pain research standards, as no CBPI-specific severity cutoffs have been formally published.
What is "treatment success" in the CBPI?
Based on Brown et al. (2013), treatment is considered clinically meaningful when BOTH a Pain Severity Score decrease of at least 1.0 point AND a Pain Interference Score decrease of at least 2.0 points are achieved between assessments.
How often should I assess my dog with the CBPI?
Assessments at least 14 days apart provide the most meaningful comparison. Shorter intervals may reflect temporary pain fluctuations rather than true treatment response. Your veterinarian can advise on the best frequency for your dog's specific situation.
Is my dog's data stored securely?
Assessments are stored only in your browser's local storage on your device. No data is sent to any server. If you clear your browser data, saved assessments will be lost. We recommend downloading the PDF report for permanent records.
Can I use the CBPI results at a vet appointment?
Yes! The CBPI is used extensively in veterinary practice. Download the PDF report and bring it to your appointment. The standardized scores help your veterinarian objectively assess your dog's pain and track treatment effectiveness over time.