Veterinary care is essential to maintaining your pet’s health and longevity. Many pets are incredibly tolerant of handling by strangers. These pets take visits to the veterinary hospital in stride. But some individuals are fearful of unfamiliar surroundings and events. Extra care must be taken to ensure that these pets have good experiences at the veterinary office.
Social visits are one way to expose your pet to the veterinary office without the stress of handling and restraint. You and your pet are welcome to stop in at our hospital any time we are open. Social visits do involve your time and effort but there is no appointment needed and no fee involved. Your friend can get some treats from the staff. He/she can practice walking on and off the scale. If the examination rooms are open, he/she can sniff around in an exam room or two. (Time spent exploring in an exam room is what we recommend for cats since free roaming in the waiting room is not safe or reassuring for them!) Our staff loves to meet and sweet talk a reluctant visitor. Some pets need only a few low key exposures to reassure them that the veterinary office is an okay place. Other individuals need more practice coming into the hospital and a slower progression from social visit to physical examination by the doctor.
For some individuals, anxiety relief is needed in addition to familiarization via social visits. There are numerous over the counter anxiety relief products made for cats and dogs. We can make suggestions as to which product to try based on our experiences and knowledge of your pet. We encourage owners to try these products before moving on to the pharmaceutical anxiety medications.
When social visits and over the counter medications do not enable a pet to be comfortable at the veterinary office, it is reasonable to consider the use of prescription medications. We can prescribe sedative drugs and/ or anti-anxiety drugs for those pets needing more calming to allow examination by the veterinarian. We make recommendations based on our knowledge of the pet’s behavior and its medical history. Owners may be asked to do test dosing of these medications at home as we work together to find the right drug or combination of drugs for that pet.
If you feel that your pet is stressed by visits to the vet, please call and discuss your concerns and observations with one of our staff. We are anxious to make veterinary visits pain-free and fear-free. Let’s work together and find the best approach for your pet.
Dr. Ann Whereat
Northwest Veterinary Hospital