Analgesia is the relief from pain. Pain can be difficult to assess in animals due to their inability to communicate directly about what they are experiencing. Instead, we must rely on indirect signs of pain. It is safe to assume that anything painful to a person is also painful to an animal. It is ideal for analgesia to be administered preemptively, or before, instead of waiting until after clinical signs of pain are observed. Analgesia is most often achieved pharmacologically, or with drugs.