Fear Free
Trips to the vet can be stressful for your pet. Here at the Cancer Center, we want both you and your pet to have a great experience. Thus, we are integrating Fear Free into how we operate to make this as positive of an experience as we can.
So what is Fear Free?
Developed by Dr. Marty Becker, “Fear Free” veterinary hospitals are those which promote a considerate approach and gentle control techniques used in calming environments. Once practice certification is available, we intend to pursue this accreditation. Until then, we are still planning on employing the recommendations of the Fear Free program.
Below are some of the recommendations and changes we have already made:
Don’t have your pet eat after 10pm the night before their visit.
A calm stomach helps your pet have a calm mind. Bring food, we can feed them here!
Our exam rooms are meant to feel comfortable for both you and your pet. Comfortable beds for our patients can be found on the floor of each exam room.
“Fear Free” hospital certification requires that at least 25% of our staff be individually certified, so you can trust that our technicians and assistants know how to create a stress-free environment.
For our extra nervous furry friends, we have a few options to help reduce their stress:
- Calming pheromones (Adaptil for dogs and Feliway for cats), we use the diffusers so that the pheromones are always around to help calm our patients.
- Thunder shirts, the gentle pressure placed on the thorax helps to calm some pets down.
- Mild anti-anxiety medications (not sedatives) help your pet relax and stay calm.
- Cats and dogs have separate housing areas to rest in during their stay. Pets that are nervous around other animals or people are also welcome to stay in our exam rooms during drop-off times until they can be brought to the back of our hospital.
- We encourage the “just because” visit for pets who are uncomfortable at the vet. They can just stop by for a short hello, get a few treats, and leave. This will help reduce the ‘negative’ associations with the office/staff and help to create a calmer pet when they do have to stay.
We hope that these changes help make your pet’s stay with us as low stress and fear free as possible. If you would like more information about the Fear Free program, you can check out their website at www.fearfreepets.com or talk to one of our staff members.