Animal Pain Awareness Month – September

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September is proclaimed to be Animal Pain Awareness Month. This whole month-long holiday is sponsored by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM). Their intentions are to educate and inform all pet owners about their pet’s health and pain management, and with all that maintaining the well-being of that pet.

animal pain awareness month ribbon

Animal Pain Awareness Month was inspired by the sole purpose of making animals feel more comfortable when they hurt when they are sick or injured. Animals, unlike people, can’t tell if or where it hurts.

Acute pain is more recognizable because it manifests with a sudden change of behavior or clear signs of pain. But chronic pain, on the other hand, can be subtler and we might not be even aware that our beloved furry family member is hurting.

lion limping in pain in savannah grass

Office of Animal Welfare and Education

This month, the Office of Animal Welfare and Education’s (O.A.W.E.) Office of Public Engagement invites you to learn about the many ways that animals suffer in laboratories and on farms through their Animal Pain Awareness Month website.

We invite you to view this site and learn more about the many causes of animal pain, as well as animal protection organizations working to protect animals from suffering.

O.A.W.E., a division of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), is dedicated to achieving effective and humane animal handling facilities through education and enforcement efforts for the welfare of animals. O.A.W.

Animal Pain Awareness Month

Animal Pain Awareness Month is a time for people to stop and think about how our actions affect the pets in our lives. It is also a time for us to recognize the pain that animals may go through because of human hands.

This website has some great resources on animal pain and this blog has some fun games and activities that can help both adults and children learn more about common ways animals are injured. Animal Pain Awareness Month is the perfect time to teach family and friends about our furry friends and how they feel.

The theme for this year’s Animal Pain Awareness Month is “Pets Feel Pain Too”. This theme was chosen to more vividly illustrate the similarities between human and animal pain, and that if something is painful for us, most definitely is painful for our pets.

a group of animals and hurt black poodle next to orange pet first aid kit

Old age, arthritis, cancer, old wounds, or fractures that did not heal properly can be the cause of chronic pain in pets. And pets are able to hide this chronic pain very well and suffer quietly. This month aims to educate pet owners to recognize the subtle signs and to take their pets for regular veterinary check-ups and pain evaluation visits.

When the pain is localized, there are many ways to minimize it or even neutralize it. Some of the pain management options are pain medications, acupuncture, physical therapy, laser therapy, and various kinds of therapeutic massages.

If you are part of the veterinary profession, take this month to educate every pet owner that walks into your clinic about the benefits of recognizing physical pain in their pets and pain management.

If you are a pet owner, take this time to learn more about your pet, what might cause pain and how to manage it. Talk to your veterinarian and be the best pet owner you can be.

If you want to learn more about Animal Pain Awareness Month, visit the official website of The International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management

Learn more about How to Tell if Your Dog is in Pain

If you want to learn more about one of the causes of pain in pets, read about “Osteosarcoma in dogs and cats“.

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