Dr. Marty Becker
Is there anything better for a veterinarian or veterinary nurse than seeing an excited new puppy wiggling like he has a belly full of Mexican jumping beans, pile-driving us with kisses, and giving puffs of sweet-and-sour puppy breath with every slap of the tongue?
I’ll answer for all of us veterinary professionals: No! New puppies are a big part of what makes this profession emotionally wealthy.
On the other hand, is there anything worse for a happy, loved puppy than going into a veterinary hospital, innocent and trusting, then being elevated, manipulated, prodded, poked, and pricked by people he hoped were new friends?
I’ll answer for all the traumatized pups going to a veterinary practice that isn’t Fear Freesm: No!
There’s more bad news for puppy and vet team alike: New puppies who develop maladaptive fear end up being older dogs whom pet owners take to the veterinary hospital reluctantly and infrequently.
Luckily, an incredible team of experts has created a Fear Free certification course that can teach any veterinary healthcare professional how to “take the ‘pet’ out of ‘petrified’ and keep them coming to our practices.” These modules utilize proven anxiety- and fear-busting practices and protocols such as considerate approach, gentle control, and conditioning or counter conditioning to help most dogs want to come into the hospital for treats, touch, tricks and play. Really: want to come in for a vet visit.
I want to give you an example of just how easy creating a Fear Free veterinary visit can be. I was recently blessed to see the cutest Springer Spaniel puppy, a 9-week-old little boy named Leaf. Many people who’ve known me over the years have heard me evangelize about how important and bonding it is to ask the pet owner how they named a pet. Well, Leaf is named for leaf springs. Get in. Leaf SPRINGer? I know, a groaner, but cute and memorable.
Leaf didn’t have the benefit of coming in to North Idaho Animal Hospital with the benefit of our proven Fear Free home protocols designed to get the pet from living room to exam room in a calm state. No, Leaf came from the breeder to the practice absolutely full of raw puppy energy. No worries. We have plans for pets like Leaf!
He was taken into exam room four where he waited with his owner, whom I’ll call Bonnie, for five minutes before being seen (this is a planned wait to acclimate). He explored the corners of the room while listening to calming music (Through A Dog’s Ear) and smelling pheromones (Adaptil) that reminded him of his momma. On the exam room table was a warm, soft, pheromone-impregnated towel.
I came into the room with a smile on my face, pheromones on my clothes, and amazing treats in my pocket – Beggin’ Strips (soft and chewable), warm deli turkey (soft and moist), and spray cheese (soft and lickable). I was ready to put the “treat” into “TREATment”!
As you can see in the photos, Leaf really liked my bag full of warm turkey. After we became fast friends, he moved over to my amazing veterinary nurse, Michelle, who let him show off his trick (sit) and be rewarded. We also used a Kong Zoom Groom to give him the pleasure of massage on the sides of his neck, chest, and around the base of his tail. He moaned with pleasure.
Finally, he was up on the exam room table where he was so happy that if he were a human he would have been smiling so wide he could have eaten a banana sideways. We used all our Fear Free techniques to examine him from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. We used distraction techniques to take his temperature and vaccinate him (he never felt the probe or the pricks).
When we set him down, unlike anxious or fearful dogs who want to bolt from the room, Leaf didn’t want to leave. And why would he, when he was listening to great tunes while being pampered? Oh yeah, not including the five minutes Leaf and Bonnie spent settling into the room, this awesome experience was still within a 20-minute wellness exam.
Leaf is on course to having a lifetime of happy, regular veterinary visits. With Fear Free we know that “nobody has to be scared of a trip to the vet.”
