Is a Visit to the Vet causing Stress?
Are visits to the vet so stressful for your pet that you feel reluctance to book appointments for routine care? Have you have felt that it would be easier to just skip that annual health check?
Some pets do not like coming to the vets. It may be related to the environment where the sights, sounds and smells of the hospital can turn them into a quivering mess. It may be a previous visit to treat a painful condition that triggers bad memories. Some pets may be stressed by taking their temperature, clipping their claws, looking at their paws or examining their ears. Stresses such as these can push your pet’s brain into fight or flight mode. This is not very conducive to a relaxed, happy, and productive vet visit.
As an owner there are steps you can take at home to reduce the stress of a vet visit.
Desensitization and counterconditioning are training techniques which use rewards such as praise, pats, and of course tasty treats. The idea is to reward your pet for tolerating having a sensitive body area like feet, nails and ears touched. With patience and persistence, you can replace negative reactions to handling with a more positive response.
Muzzling dogs in clinic can add to stress factors associated with a visit to the vets. Muzzle training at home can help your dog relax and be comfortable wearing a muzzle. Dogs should be taught to voluntarily put their noses in the muzzle for a reinforcer such as food.
There are also measures that can help once you are at the vet clinic. The provision of separate dog and cat waiting areas goes a long way to reducing patient stress and anxiety. Imagine your vet having to take a blood sample from a terrified cat who has been in the same waiting room as barking or boisterous dogs.
Make visits to the vets happy. Dogs are encouraged to pop in for a sniff and meet and greet with no poking, prodding or needles. There are always tasty treats at reception and staff wanting to give your pet some positive attention.
Keep calm and carry on. If you are calm and relaxed your pet will pick up on the positive vibe.
What are the options when all else fails and your pet is showing signs of fear and anxiety too extreme to reverse without assistance?
Your vet can establish a pre- vet visit pharmaceutical protocol to help manage fearful and aggressive cats and dogs and reduce distress in the clinic environment. We have safe and effective antianxiety medications available that have been proven to alleviate stress in dogs and cats during clinic visits.
We have had excellent results with our more anxious and sometimes aggressive patients with the use of a safe and effective medication called Gabapentin. This medication can be prescribed at the discretion of your vet when it is clear, that vet visits are causing stress and anxiety for a patient which could make it difficult to examine them thoroughly. This drug is fast acting and has a short duration of action which makes it ideal for this use. (Stollar et al. 2022)
Given by mouth pre vet visit gabapentin has been shown to significantly reduce fear responses in cats.
In 2022 A study was conducted which evaluated the effects of a single administration on stress in dogs at the vet clinic. Behavioural responses in treated dogs and those given a placebo were assessed and the conclusion was that Gabapentin was safe and beneficial in managing the stress of vet visits.
At Tauranga Vet Services, we have been using this medication for this purpose for some time and have certainly witnessed this benefit for ourselves. It allows us to treat and perform important diagnostic work on patients who might otherwise not be able to tolerate such procedures, more safely.
Other medications can be added if the situation warrants it under the close guidance of your vet. “The Chill Protocol” can allow reduction in anxiety and sedation to allow for safe management of dogs with fear induced aggression without significant side effects.
We are here to help make vet visits fun and safer for all.
Stollar OO, Moore GE, Mukhopadhyay A, Gwin W, Ogata N. Effects of a single dose of orally administered gabapentin in dogs during a veterinary visit: a doubleblinded, placebo-controlled study. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 260, 1031-40, 2022
At Tauranga Veterinary Services we can see you and your beloved pet 7 days per week at our Tauranga Clinic and 6 days at our Te Puna, Katikati, Papamoa and Mount Maunganui Clinics. Book online at www.bopvets.co.nz or call 0800 838 7267 now to organise a booking convenient to you.