Why AAHA Benefits Your Pet

Animal Care Hospital is an accredited member of the Amerian Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). Since 1999, we have regularly undergone inspections by AAHA to ensure that we comply with the association's high quality standards of care. These standards cover nearly every aspect of our hospital, including surgery, pharmacy, laboratory, exam facilities, patient care, cleanliness, client service, emergency services, diagnostic imaging, and anesthesiology. Approximately 17 percent of animal hospitals in North America are accredited by AAHA. Two areas your pet benefits from this accreditation specifically are in the areas of anesthesiology and pain control.

Medically important surgeries and dental cleanings for pets require anesthesia, which in turn requires close monitoring of vital signs, such as respiration rates, heart rates, ECG, and blood pressure. AAHA member hospitals are required to provide a highly trained staff member in surgery as well as state of the art monitoring equipment to monitor patients while under anesthesia, thus allowing the veterinarian to focus on performing the safest and most sterile surgery possible. Animal Care Hospital has taken this one step further by providing Certified Veterinary Technicians (CVT) to monitor your pet while it is under anesthesia.

Pain in animals can be very difficult to assess. Asking a dog or a cat to tell us how much pain they have on a scale of 1-10 just is not an option in veterinary medicine. AAHA member hospitals are required to have pain management protocols in place to minimize pain and discomfort in our furry friends. The entire staff at Animal Care Hospital has been trained to recognize pain and discomfort in our patients as well as how to educate our clients on how to recognize pain in their pets. Pain control is provided prior to, during and after all surgical procedures.

While providing the best possible surgical experience for your pet at times may raise surgery prices, it does help to protect the lives of your pets. We strongly encourage all pet owners to ask their veterinary professionals how they safeguard pet health during surgery.