Routine veterinary visits and vaccines are vital to your pet’s health and wellness. Unfortunately, our pets don’t understand that and will often experience some fear, stress, and/or anxiety during their check-ups. By preparing ahead of time, working with your veterinary team, and using treats and distractions, you can help make your pet’s visit more positive and less stressful!
1. Find the Right Veterinarian for Your Pet
Veterinarians are amazing! They have dedicated their lives to helping animals and are some of the most brilliant and compassionate people you will ever meet. Nowadays, there are lots of different animal hospitals to choose from. If your pet experiences stress or anxiety around vet visits, there are certain practices that may be better suited for your pet’s needs.
The Fear Free mission is to “prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets by inspiring and educating the people who care for them”. Fear Free Certified Practices and Professionals follow certain standards related to reducing fear, anxiety, and stress during veterinary visits.
They follow protocols that involve lower-stress handling techniques and have waiting areas and exam rooms designed with the pet’s mental well-being in mind. Their techniques and protocols were developed by board-certified veterinary behaviorists who are leaders in their field of veterinary behavioral medicine.
You can find Fear Free Certified Veterinarians through the Fear Free Directory.
If you have a cat that is fearful of the vet, the American Association of Feline Practitioners is leading the way to make cats more comfortable during their visits. Like Fear Free, the AAFP has a specialized training program and standards that its certified members follow while providing veterinary care to our feline friends.
The American Animal Hospital Association has long been considered the gold standard in veterinary care. AAHA accredited hospitals follow the highest standards developed by experts in the field of veterinary medicine. Their standards are meant to provide the highest level of medical care as well as comfort for the patient. This includes low-stress handling techniques and behavioral guidelines.
In addition to the different certifications, you can look for, some practices will have other features that can be helpful for certain pets. Things like separate waiting rooms for cats and dogs, feline-only clinics, and home visits may be better for some pets.
Research your options and choose the best veterinarian/animal hospital for your pet’s individual needs.
2. Prepare Ahead of Time
There are many things you can do ahead of time to prepare your pet for a less stressful vet visit.
If the only time your cat is used to getting in their carrier or your dog goes for car rides is to the vet, they may understandably develop anxiety around that. Try to get them used to these items ahead of time by building positive associations.
Take your dog for a ride around the block, to the park, or to grab a “puppuccino”. Put some yummy high-value treats, catnip, and toys in your cat’s carrier and just let them relax in it at home for a while. Once they become acclimated, go for some short drives, and work your way up to a vet visit.
Practice “exams” with your pet at home. Check their ears, touch their feet, and look in their mouth. Reward with treat to give them a positive experience. This is especially important if you have a new puppy or kitten. Getting them used to being handled early in life can help prevent anxiety during vet visits later. If you have an older pet that is not used to being handled, it is still worthwhile to practice these exercises. Just be patient with them and use lots of treats.
Take your dog for a walk before entering the clinic. This will help them relax a little and get out some of their nervous energy (and nervous pee!). Also, don’t be afraid to call ahead of the visit and ask the vet questions about your dog’s needs.
3. Bring Distractions
Distractions are your pet’s best friend while they are getting their check-up! Bring their favorite treats and maybe even a special toy. They’ll have something to be excited about and focus on during the visit.
Food dispensing toys like kongs and lickimats are great distraction tools that your pet will love. Your dog could be working on getting some peanut butter out of a kong or your cat can have a lickimat stuffed with tuna while getting their vaccines. This will help create positive associations with their visits (yummy snacks!) instead of negative ones (scary needles!).
Calming sprays like Adaptil for dogs and Feliway for cats may also be very helpful in reducing your pet’s stress during veterinary visits.
4. Tell the Vet About Your Pet’s Fears
If your pet has certain triggers, speak to the veterinary staff ahead of time. Most clinics are more than happy to make special accommodations for a fearful pet. If you have a pet that doesn’t do well in waiting rooms or around other animals, see if you can call and check in from the car. They may also be able to bring you to a room right away if they are made aware ahead of time. They may even have you come to a side or back door or have a staff member clear the lobby for you.
Some situations may even call for using anti-anxiety medications or sedatives, talk to your veterinarian about options. Many anxious breeds struggle with vet visits and reactivity around other animals, don’t be afraid to ask for help!
