The other day I was reminded of why we chose the Fear Free way to practice veterinary medicine at Chateau Veterinary Hospital.
A client came in and wanted an elective procedure done to her cat. The cat was becoming agitated and I explained that we would need to use sedation in order not to intensify the cat’s fear. The client proceeded to tell me that she had worked at a veterinary hospital and they would have “got the job done.” When I asked how, she explained that several people would have held the cat down and proceeded. The owner was angry that we would not pin her cat down and elected to leave.
The situation made me very sad for the kind of care that pets sometimes receive when people elect to just “get the job done” in the face of the pet’s terror. If a procedure is medically unnecessary and veterinarians proceed without any kind of sedation or antianxiety medication to make the pet less anxious, just what have we accomplished? We will likely convince the pet that visits to the veterinary hospital or groomer or trainer (wherever the event occurs) are horrible experiences and should be feared. As the pet becomes more fearful, he may strike out aggressively in order to protect himself and then he may be manhandled even more.
The better way is the Fear Free way, trying to make every visit a more pleasant experience and, when necessary, using medication to calm our patients. That is why we, at Chateau Veterinary Hospital, chose to undergo the rigorous training to become a Fear Free Certified Hospital. We think it is the best way.
Learn more about Fear Free: https://fearfreepets.com/
What’s the difference between a Fear Free Certified Practice and Fear Free Certified Professional?
The basis of any successful Fear Free experience is the successful completion of the Fear Free certification program. Our certified professionals work in various capacities – veterinarians, technicians, customer service staff, practice managers, trainers, groomers, pet sitters, and more. Each individual is responsible for maintaining their certification. Some veterinary hospitals have one certified professional, others have their entire teams certified.
Practice certification takes Fear Free implementation to the next level – from an individual to a joint effort that requires the entire practice team to work together to achieve certification. Fear Free certified practices will have successfully implemented Fear Free into all aspects of their business: culture and leadership, to client education, staff training, facility, and patient visits. To meet this level of commitment and implementation, practices must measure up to Fear Free standards and will receive an on-site visit from a Fear Free practice certification veterinarian to review the achievement of standards.
