How my experience working at a vet's office helps you!

Hey guys. Listen. There is so much info out there about Fear Free vet care and in fact, I am a Fear Free Certified Trainer and a massive supporter of the program but that's not where I'm speaking from today. Today I'm speaking from my own 8+ years of experience working in the vet field part-time.

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There is a delicate balance here between allowing the Veterinarian and Technicians perform their job in a timely and safe manner and using skills learned at home to make the visit less stressful. First, I encourage you to find a veterinary practice that is open to these fear free type methods, officially Fear Free Certified or not!

The Waiting Room: Should be in your car. This should be a simple solution but something that is simply not utilized enough! If possible, leave your dog in the car, pop in to let the receptionist know you're going to wait in your car with your pet and, depending on where you are and what the proximity of the parking lot is, you will either want to let the receptionist know which car is yours or give your number for a quick call or text when the room is ready. 

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The Scale: The scale is often placed against a wall or in a corner and can therefore be very scary for a dog to fully climb onto for more than a second. Beyond that, what I see is that people are often rushing their dog onto the scale, pushing, pulling, picking them up, forcing them on. Why? 
        At Home Prep: Teach your dog how to target your hand or a small portable object with his nose. You can then use this to lead your dog onto the scale. Practice around the house in different areas of the house and onto different surfaces. Teaching your dog this learned behavior helps give his mind some mental and physical direction. And the skill, in general, is invaluable for anytime you need to bring your dog's attention back to you.

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Entering The Exam Room: Entering a small room without an exit is clearly very anxiety provoking and I hope you can see why. The smells, the set-up, the lighting, the flooring, and certainly the past experience - talk about an overload of triggers. 
         At Home Prep: This is another wonderful use of that hand targeting skill above. Use it to go into the room and then use it to move around the room so your dog can take in all the sights and smells while also being given a task. Practice this in the bathroom or closet at home - two other often scary spots for dogs (especially if you are requesting it and even worse if they're on leash)

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Meeting the Technician/Employees: Look, veterinary professionals often get into the business for their love of animals > their love of people. They want to touch, look at, snuggle your pets. As professionals, veterinary employees should know and learn to give pets the space they need to settle into this new space to start with but this is still not often taught to them. What I often still see is the technicians bending down and over dogs, trying to interact immediately, trying to pet - all well intentioned but not what most pets are looking for, even if they do approach. The pets should smell them, sure. Get treated by you, absolutely. While the technician (or whoever) is taking a history and concerns, let your pet go on a treat hunt, or play with a favorite toy from home.
          At Home Prep: One of my favorite cues for a dog to learn is the "go say hi" or "check" cue. What this looks like is that targeting again, except that this time - they can target an object, a foot, a hand, etc. And THEN they come right back to you for a reward. Teach your dog to do this first with family members and then objects around the house. Give the object a tap, wait for him to look at or sniff the object and then YES, good boy! and treat! And guess what, he learns to automatically come back to you for the reward. Once he's good at doing this with the less scary stuff, try it with things that he might not love. The vacuum (turned off), the mop, broom, newer person who can follow direction, nail clippers, grooming brush, etc. In the case of Audra in the video, it was her own scary reflection she learned to "check".

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The Exam: Ok, so here's the tough part. For safety, the technician will often need to handle your pet but this is where your training can really come in handy. Here are the main tasks the vets will focus on in an exam
1. Otoscope (looking in the ears)
2. Ophthalmoscope (looking at the eyes) 
3. Looking at the teeth
4. Feeling lymph node (neck, front legs, back legs)
5. Feel the belly, look under the tail
6. Feel the hips/stretch the back legs
7. Listen with a stethoscope 
8. Take a rectal temp -- there are SOME veterinary offices that do this on a regular basis. If yours is one, I'm sorry but I'm trying to make this an exhaustive list
       That's just the exam. Then there are shots and any recommended blood tests (such as the heartworm test). Nails, if you request them or if your pet clearly needs them done
         At Home Prep: 
There is a Waiting Game I like to teach and play. It helps to teach the dogs that there is a choice. The key is that you practice this "choice" a lot at home so your dog gets addicted to the choice to allow that part of the exam. First, find a towel or mat, preferably one that can come to the vet visit as well. Second, your dog should have a nice down/wait. If not, that needs to be taught first and is beyond today's post. Third, tell your dog down/wait and place a treat visibly out of reach. If your dog gets up, the treat goes away. As long as he stays down on his towel, the treat remains. Now decide what you're going to work on. For the purpose of this post, let's say: Nail Trim
Here's what it might look like but you break it down however you need to to be safe and successful with your dog:

Remember, the main rules:
1. Treat is out of reach so you can always reach it faster than your dog
2. Your dog gets released to or is given the treat for holding the down/wait (for whatever duration/distraction you plan on)
3. If your dog gets up, it's OKAY but the treat goes away.
4. If your dog continually gets up, it's OKAY! But the treat value needs to be increased in type or quantity and/or you need to break down the duration/distraction more
5. If your dog never gets up, GREAT! And you can make it a bit harder.

Once your dog learns this game in a "down" position, you will also want to practice it in a standing position (this will likely be necessary for listening to the heart and feeling lymph nodes, belly, hips, and legs) Often the technician will be assisting in keeping the dog upright.

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So let's recap:
1. Otoscope (looking in the ears) - Waiting game 
2. Ophthalmoscope (looking at the eyes): Waiting game (while the Vet sneaks a look)
3. Looking at the teeth: Waiting Game
4. Feeling lymph node (neck, front legs, back legs): Standing Waiting Game or Hand Targeting
5. Feel the belly, look under the tail: Waiting Game or Hand Targeting
6. Feel the hips/stretch the back legs: Waiting Game or Hand Targeting
7. Listen with a stethoscope: Waiting Game - ideally, your dog will need to stop panting briefly so the Dr can hear his heart and he should be standing. 
8. Take a rectal temp -- there are SOME veterinary offices that do this on a regular basis. If yours is one, I'm sorry but I'm trying to make this an exhaustive list: Waiting Game or Hand Targeting, or honestly Treat overload
9. Heartworm Test: Waiting Game, standing for the back leg

​On the veterinary side of things, my hope is that very soon, the majority of Veterinary offices will be on board with the slowing down of the exam, the touch gradient, and more techniques that will add exponential value to their practice. Until then, advocate for your pet!

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A couple of extra side notes:
Basket Muzzles are NOTHING to be ashamed of. Honestly, every dog should be trained to this idea of a treat basket attached to their face. I mean, really. Make it a positive happy thing and it really shouldn't give off that Hannibal Lector vibe. And I'll tell you what, having a dog trained to one at home really beats the strangers trying to get one on when he's already stressed!

Meds can help! There is a combination of Trazadone/Gabapentin (and Gabapentin alone for cats) that REALLY helps to take the edge off the level of stress the dog is feeling. Ask your vet about it in advance of the appointment because it does need to be give the day before as well.

CALL AHEAD. When you make the appointment, if you have a dog who will need extra time, request it. You may or may not have to pay extra for the extra time but it's an investment well worth making. I have seen a lot of money go into partial or full sedation due to fear, anxiety, and stress. I have seen injuries to technicians, veterinarians, separate vet visits, more frequent visits, and a lot of $$ lost in the process. The fear and stress does not stay at the office. They bring it home. Then they apply it to other people in their future. It's worth taking the time to work on this proactively to keep you and your dog's future safe!

I hope this blog post was helpful for you. Please join and follow me on facebook on Friday May 3rd when I do a live guest video for "It Takes a Village" Pet Care. I will post event info soon so that you will receive notifications. In the meantime, please comment below and let me know if you think you can implement any or all of this at home! 
​And finally, don't forget to join my mailing list so you receive future trainings on this subject

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