As veterinarians professionals, we understand that most four-legged family members do not like coming to the vet.
“Here is the scary reality of our profession: Despite our best efforts, 37 percent of dog owners and 58 percent of cat owners say their pets hate going to the veterinarian, according to the 2014 Bayer Veterinary Healthcare Usage Study.
In addition, 26 percent of dog owners and 38 percent of cat owners report that just thinking about going to the vet is stressful.
Most patients, even the silent or seemingly happy ones, experience some level of anxiety, stress or even fear.”
This is something that practices have struggled with since the beginning of veterinary medicine, making it as comfortable and fear free for your pet as possible. We have implemented routines here at Jet City that we have already seen help some patients that have previously not done well at the vet.
We’ve been implementing fear free practices into our team’s culture over the past year. We have a variety of stress-reducing initiatives and use Ceva brand products in our exam rooms and treatment area.
For our feline friends we provide a pheromone called Feliway to help calm them in the room as well as when they are in their carriers or in the lobby. This pheromone is naturally produced when a cat rubs up on objects and helps provide confidence and reduces stress.
For the pups that come in to see us, we have a different product called Adaptil which helps dogs in the same way Feliway helps cats. The pheromone is naturally emitted from the mother to her puppies and creates a sense of security and comfort.
7 benefits of Fear-Free Veterinary Visits
Dr. Marty Becker says that when patients aren’t stressed out, they will:
- Have more accurate blood tests.
- Have more accurate vital readings (temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate).
- Have more accurate physical exams.
- Require less sedation.
- Have less immune suppression.
- Experience less vomiting.
- Have less diarrhea.
We want you and your pet family to enjoy your visit, so we’ve created an interesting, comfortable and welcoming environment. The goal is for everyone to be at ease here so you can make the best choices for your pet’s healthcare. We hope to establish a long-term, trusting relationship with you and your whole family (furry ones included). Our goal at Jet City Animal Clinic is to follow Dr. Becker’s mantra: “Take the pet out of petrified.”
It’s interesting how you said that so many people and pets feel nervous going to see the veterinarian. This seems like it could be simply because the area isn’t familiar. I would bet that the more you take your pet in to see their vet, the more comfortable they would be at the clinic.
It’s awesome that this article talked about reducing the stress of pet patients when going to see a veterinarian. When I was younger, I was always worried about how stressed my cat was when we tried to put her in the carrier and then in the car. I appreciate you helping me learn more about way you can introduce pheromones into your vet’s office to relax the animals.
I really like how you talked about having pheromones that relax your pets so they don’t come to the vet’s office afraid. My sister’s cat is a very nervous and skittish cat, so we’re trying to find ways for her not to be so scared when we take her in for her regular checkups. Thank you for the information about the Feliway pheromone to help reduce stress and provide confidence to the cat.
It’s really interesting how you said that vet clinics will sometimes use pheromones to help animals calm down a little bit. We just bought a puppy a little while ago and we need to get him some immunizations. He hasn’t really gone anywhere apart from our home so we are hoping that we have a really good experience. We’ll have to ensure to go somewhere that has taken steps to calm animals down.
That is great that going to the vet my pet can have more accurate blood tests and vital readings. I would love to make sure that I take care of my pet. I will have to make sure that I make more appointments.
Thanks for these tips for having fear-free veterinary visits. I actually didn’t know that this could be important to make sure you get accurate physical exams. This sounds very useful when identifying potential problems and the treatments for them.
I am so thankful for what you have shared about this cool information. My family is a pet lover and we don’t want any of them to get hurt when visiting a vet. It’s awesome that we can take care of them without any fear of being traumatized or whatsoever.
That’s interesting that 26% cat owners say going to the vet is stressful. I guess that’s because the vet causes fear in animals. One way to deal with that is to have the pet’s carrier around them often.