According to the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC), more than 45 million household pets suffer from either acute or chronic pain. To spread awareness about pain management in domestic animals, the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) had announced September as ‘Animal Pain Awareness Month’ in September 2015.
What is The Need for ‘Animal Pain Awareness Month’?
Pets feel the pain the same way we do. The worrying thing is pets are not verbally communicative, and as a result, we as their parents always need to be on our toes to recognize their discomfort when they are in pain. Moreover, dogs in particular inherit the virtue of hiding pain as they were once hunting predators and could not afford to show their pain because an injured animal could mean an easy target for other wild animals. This virtue makes it even harder for dog owners to see the pain when their animal companion is suffering. So, educating people about their pet’s pain management is needed for the health and well-being of their animal friends.
Through Animal Pain Awareness Month, the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) aims to encourage veterinarians to educate their clients about how to recognize and manage acute and chronic pain in their pets through traditional and complementary treatments.
3 Things To Do During ‘Animal Pain Awareness Month’
1. Discuss With Your Friends and Family
There are people in our own community who are not aware about how to manage pain and pay attention to their pet’s discomfort, especially when pets badly require it. Discussing how you helped your pet with its pain to your close ones can help them prevent their pet from suffering.
