How better pain conversations can improve veterinary follow-through
Bottom line
Pain management plans can fail quietly when the client conversation is rushed, and a new dvm360 article argues that veterinarians should treat communication as part of the analgesic plan itself. In the September 24, 2026, piece, anesthesiologist Amber Hopkins, DVM, cVMA, CCRT, DACVAA, urges clinicians to identify and discuss pain before pet parents raise concerns, frame multimodal analgesia as a standard of care rather than an optional add-on, and reset common assumptions such as “he’s just getting old.” The article aligns with 2022 AAHA and WSAVA guidance that emphasizes proactive, preemptive pain management, structured assessment, and regular reassessment. (dvm360.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary teams, the takeaway is practical: better pain conversations can improve compliance, follow-through, and outcomes. AAHA’s guidelines explicitly call for a shared team approach to pain management and client communication, and they support using owner observations, home videos, written instructions, and validated clinical metrology instruments to track chronic pain over time. That matters especially in older dogs and cats, where pain may show up as reduced mobility, altered grooming, irritability, or less interaction long before a pet parent labels it as pain. (aaha.org)
What to watch: Expect continued emphasis on standardized pain-assessment tools, clearer discharge and follow-up protocols, and more coaching for pet parents on recognizing subtle chronic pain at home. (aaha.org)
Key facts
- Article date
- September 24, 2026
- Source
- dvm360
- Author
- Amber Hopkins, DVM, cVMA, CCRT, DACVAA
- Core message
- Pain communication should be part of the analgesic plan
- Approach
- Talk about pain proactively, before pet parents ask
- Pain management
- Present multimodal analgesia as standard of care
- Guidance cited
- 2022 AAHA and WSAVA pain guidelines
- Assessment tools
- Validated questionnaires and client-specific outcome measures
- At-risk pets
- Older dogs and cats
A pain protocol is only as strong as the client conversation behind it, according to a new dvm360 article published September 24, 2026. In the piece, Amber Hopkins, DVM, cVMA, CCRT, DACVAA, argues that veterinarians should talk about pain proactively, not wait for pet parents to ask, and should present analgesia as an expected part of care rather than an elective upgrade. (dvm360.com)
That message lands in a profession that has spent the past several years pushing pain management upstream. The 2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats call for a practice-wide approach to both pain control and client communication, while the WSAVA’s updated global pain guidelines likewise emphasize recognition, assessment, and treatment using structured tools and protocols. Together, those documents reflect a broader shift away from reactive “damage control” and toward earlier identification, preemptive analgesia, reassessment, and plan revision. (aaha.org)
In the dvm360 article, Hopkins highlights several communication tactics that may sound simple but carry operational weight in practice: tell clients what pain is expected, explain what the team is doing to control it, define what success should look like, and make multimodal pain control feel routine. She also recommends reframing vague age-related complaints, such as slowing down or reluctance to use stairs, as possible pain signals that deserve evaluation. That approach mirrors AAHA guidance, which notes that chronic pain assessment should combine clinician findings with pet-parent observations and, when possible, validated questionnaires or client-specific outcome measures followed over time. (dvm360.com)
The supporting context from Texas A&M’s client-facing pain coverage reinforces why those conversations matter. VMBS experts note that pain in dogs and cats is often subtle and variable, with signs that can include decreased activity, altered grooming, appetite changes, irritability, pacing, panting, or reduced social interaction. In senior pets especially, those changes are easy for pet parents to normalize unless the veterinary team names them clearly and early. (vetmed.tamu.edu)
Industry guidance also points to the nuts and bolts of making these conversations stick. AAHA recommends giving clients specific verbal and written instructions, setting clear follow-up intervals, and using the communication format best suited to the household, whether digital or paper. Its resource center also highlights practical tools, including pain assessment aids and implementation materials that can help standardize messaging across veterinarians and technicians. (aaha.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is less about bedside manner than case execution. Chronic pain plans often depend on home monitoring, medication adherence, weight management, rehabilitation, environmental modification, and repeat reassessment. If pet parents leave without understanding why multiple therapies are being used, what improvement should look like, or when to report back, compliance can erode even when the medicine is sound. Standardizing the language around pain, especially for osteoarthritis and other chronic conditions, can help teams catch cases earlier and reduce the risk that “normal aging” becomes a substitute for diagnosis. (dvm360.com)
There’s also a relationship piece. Older dvm360 commentary from veterinary pain specialist Robin Downing frames client education as part of the ethical obligation to inform and partner with clients, while Andrew Claude, DVM, DACVAA, has argued that the discussion should focus not on whether animals need pain control, but on how pain management benefits the pet and what tradeoffs or adverse effects to watch for. Those perspectives support the same core idea in Hopkins’ article: pain communication is not separate from treatment, it is part of treatment. (dvm360.com)
What to watch: Expect more practices to formalize pain-screening questions, use validated owner-facing assessment tools more consistently, and build follow-up workflows around chronic pain cases, particularly as senior-pet care and osteoarthritis management continue to expand. (aaha.org)