Your best friend deserves Fear Free care! What does Fear Free mean?
It’s more than just claiming that we handle animals gently. It’s a promise to you and our patients—one that we’ve made with a lot of thought, preparation, and training to back it up.
Studies show that more than 75% of patients that come through the door of a veterinary clinic are severely stressed by exams and encounters with their vet. That means there’s a good chance your pet is in this majority. And although veterinary care is crucial, it doesn’t have to come at the cost of your pet’s emotional health.
Startown Veterinary Hospital is committed to making sure your pet has the best experience possible before, during, and after his visit to our hospital. We strive to make every visit as pleasant as possible and to reduce any fear, stress, and anxiety that you or your pet may experience. We utilize our knowledge of pet body language and behavior and combine it with calming colors, appeasing pheromones, highly palatable treats and more to achieve the Fear Free environment!
All of our veterinarians and staff have become Fear Free Certified Professionals. Each of these team members have undergone in-depth training to be able to assist you and your pet for the best veterinary visit possible.
Here are some of the ways that we lower the fear, anxiety, and stress of our patients.
- Staff training: The most important way to change the experience of pets in a veterinary hospital is to educate ourselves on fear free animal handling. This training makes all the difference for a scared or stressed pet who comes into the vet expecting rough and brisk handling. Gentle hands and calm voices.
- Environmental changes: Sometimes an animal hospital, much like a human hospital, can seem like a cold, sterile place. But we strive to be different! Calming music around the hospital reduces echoes and disturbing noises, while species specific pheromones help comfort our patients during their visit. Our hospital is painted in calming colors and our floors are textured to prevent slipping, which is scary to cats and dogs. We use warm blankets for our patients to sit on and we try to not ever take our patients away from you, their safe place.
- Rewards: Peanut butter, cheese, baby food....Treats Treats Treats! It’s a good idea to bring your pet in hungry so they are excited about the snacks our staff will provide to distract them from anything unpleasant.
- Knowing that No means No: Despite all of our fear-free efforts, sometimes patients just won’t accept our care. We will not man-handle your pets to get the job done. So if the blood draw, nail trim, or physical exam isn’t going well, our doctors and team may discuss medications that can be given a few hours before the next visit to help calm your pet and relieve some of the anxiety associated with a vet visit.
For more information, please watch the video below and visit www.fearfreepets.com
