One of the more recent emphases being
advocated by “America’s Veterinarian”, Dr. Marty Becker, and
the veterinary profession, is the “fear free” experience of
taking your pet to the veterinarian.
Hippocrates said it this way: “Cure
sometimes, treat often, comfort always.”
Our veterinary oath obligates us to,
“the prevention and relief of animal suffering.”
Many people are hesitant to bring their
pets to the veterinary clinic because of the perceived stressful
experience for them and their pet.
Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Karen Overall,
states that fear is the most damaging thing a social species can
experience. So what is the solution – to create fear free visits
that happen inside a fear-free practice.
A Fear-Free
Practice actually starts at home with fear-free pets. Well-behaved
animals at home are, of course, much more likely to behave well when
their owners bring them to the veterinary clinic. Training pets are
like raising children, the more time we spend early on teaching and
rewarding them for acceptable behavior, the more this will promote
the peace and harmony of the human-animal bond.
Here are six ways Karen Overall says
people can help their pets
live in peace and harmony:
- Teach people how to pet their
dogs and cats. Make it a rule to only give their pets attention
when they are calm, and use gentle, soft strokes to pet. For dogs,
focus on petting the chest, side of the neck, or the side of the
body – areas the pet relaxes into.
- Encourage pet owners to commit to
consistent training and rewards (treats, praise, play, petting).
Never allow one family member to “rough play” with the dog &
allow mouthing, but not allow this with other household members.
This is very confusing to the dog as to what behavior is acceptable.
- Desensitize your pet to the
transportation crate by having it out all the time at home and
putting tasty treats or toys in the crate so your pet feels very
comfortable in it.
- Number four is about timing and
consistency. The reward structure should be clearly defined and
appropriately reinforced at all times. Pet owners need to
understand that when teaching a new behavior we teach best best by
rewarding at every instance of appropriate behavior and that our
pets will retain what they have learned best by rewarding them
intermittently.
- Human and pet expectations. Make
sure you are rewarding the pet with what is intrinsically rewarding
to them, not what you think they should like. Think of food as
currency. You have to understand exactly what currency will make a
pet’s eyes light up. (Freeze dried liver, turkey hotdog, deli
turkey, salmon, Gerber’s Graduate Meat Stick, Honey Nut Cheerios,
Peanut Butter Captain Crunch. Cats thrive on tuna, easy cheese or
canned cheese, Feline Greenies, and baby food.
- Establish “leadership” vs
dominance with your dog. Leadership helps the human family gain
influence over their dog simply by controlling all resources to use
as motivators to reward dogs for appropriate behavior
Procedures that we are using in our
veterinary clinic
to help pets to have a more pleasant experience:
- We are using pheromones (chemical
substances that are produced and secreted by animals that influences
their behavior and gives them a sense of well-being) in the exam &
treatment rooms.
- Putting the treat into treatment.
- We recommend that owners do not feed
their pets before coming to the clinic so their pets will be hungry
and be much more likely to respond to treats which will distract
them. We want them to think of their visit like a trip to the Dairy
Queen with lots of good things to eat and can’t wait to come back.
- If necessary, pet sedation protocols
are started before the pet owner leaves home to help the pet to be
relaxed and happy.
The bottom line: the more calm and
relaxed the pet when coming to the veterinary clinic, the more
enjoyable and productive experience for all concerned.
Stay tuned for more developments and
procedures
to enhance the “Fear Free Experience”!
