09/24/2026
š¾ SEPTEMBER IS ANIMAL PAIN AWARENESS MONTH š¾
Pain in our pets isnāt always obvious.
They canāt tell us when something hurts, and they donāt always limp, cry, or stop eating. In fact, animals are incredibly good at hiding pain. They are survivors ā and often continue doing the things they love even when something isnāt quite right.
Thatās why the small changes matter.
Watch for:
⢠Stiffness or difficulty getting up
⢠Reluctance to jump, climb stairs, or play
⢠Changes in sleeping habits
⢠Decreased appetite or changes in eating
⢠Excessive licking or grooming of one area
⢠Changes in behavior or interaction
⢠Moving differently or simply seeming ānot quite themselvesā
š Pain is not something we should simply accept as a normal part of aging.
As an AAHA-accredited hospital, Berthoud Animal Hospital voluntarily holds itself to standards designed to promote consistent, high-quality veterinary care. Pain management is an important part of those standards ā including assessing pain as part of patient evaluation and developing appropriate pain-management plans.
But great pain management goes beyond simply treating pain after it appears.
AAHAās pain-management guidelines emphasize a proactive approach: recognize pain, assess it, treat it, reassess it, and adjust the plan as the patientās needs change. This can include medications as well as rehabilitation, physical therapy, acupuncture, environmental changes, and other individualized therapies.
At Berthoud Animal Hospital, we believe our patients deserve more than simply getting through the day.
They deserve to be comfortable, mobile, engaged, and able to enjoy their lives.
Because they rely on us to notice the things they canāt tell us. š¾š
Recognize. Prevent. Manage. Improve their quality of life.