Cooperative Care Starts With You
How many times have you uttered these words at the vet?
- "They hate it here!"
- "They know where they are going"
- "They were so hard to get into the carrier".
What if I told you that you have the power to change all of that, and even turn vet visits into positive experiences? Stress-free vet visits aren’t just about what happens at the clinic - it all starts at home.
To prepare your pet for a comfortable trip to the vet, you need to turn the “dreaded” carrier into their favourite, and safest space in the home.
So many of us only get the carrier out when it’s time for a vet visit. Our animals are smarter than we give them credit for. It only takes one uncomfortable experience to create enough trauma for your pet to have a negative association with their carrier.
The first step is to start carrier habituation and training, this takes gradual exposure, patience and consistent training sessions. To learn more about carrier training see the video below:
The transport to the clinic can also be a significant stressor for your pet. Some of the factors that effect your pet in transport include:
- noise
- movement
- motion of driving
- scenery
- light changes
To reduce this you can take action such as playing calming music or soothing noises. Sometimes, covering your pet’s carrier with a blanket (keeping the carrier consistently dark,) can make a big difference. Selecting quieter and less bumpy roads can help keep your pet calm in the drive. Securing the carrier in the car will help your pet feel more stable and safe.
Giving your pet the ability to have a positive association with the car will also give you the upper hand when transporting your pet to the clinic, this means taking positive car rides, which should be short, simple and fun, while utilising treats and positive reinforcement.
Further to this, you should turn the clinic into a fun place for your pet to be, pop in for social visits with your pet to say “Hi” to the team, build rapport, get treats and other positive experiences.
Once your pet is carrier trained you can begin treatment desensitization. The most common anxiety inducing treatments are nail clips, beak trims, dental exams, ear cleans and injections. You can assist in counter-conditioning your pet for these treatments to reduce their sensitivity by playing with their feet, mouth/beak, ears and the frequently injected areas such as between their shoulder blades. Remember, the key to successful training and conditioning is repetition, consistency and patience. During a vet visit you can continue to reduce their anxiety by bringing their comfort items such as a favourite toy. After the vet visit it is important to allow your pet decompression time. This should be in a quiet environment away from any stressors.
If you find your pet is still struggling with their vet visits, reach out to your vet. There are a multitude of different medications out there these days that can assist in keeping your pet calm through these events if they find them particularly stressful. When scheduling your pet’s appointments, mention their anxiety level on the phone. The team will be happy to help reduce this as much as possible by scheduling at a less stressful and busy time. We can also reduce your pet’s anxiety by not having you wait in the waiting room and giving positive reinforcement before, during and after the consult.
It is imperative that we take responsibility for our pets mental health and anxiety and reduce trigger stacking which leads to undesirable behaviours and difficulty getting treatment for your pet when they are unwell. Stress plays a big role in the health of our animals, bringing a sick animal into clinic that is also extremely “stressy” only further exacerbates their health issues and makes their road to recovery longer.
If you would like to learn more about trigger stacking or get help with training and overcoming stress in your bird, you can book an in person or online behavioural consultation.
References:
Stress Free Pets for Vet Nurses
