Our Doctors are Fear Free Certified!
What is Fear Free?
The Fear Free method was developed to help reduce fear, stress, and anxiety during your pet’s visit to the hospital. Fear Free focuses on both the physical and emotional well-being of your pets, and aims to take the pet out of petrified.
What Makes a Visit Fear Free?
So what do we do that makes us Fear Free? We start by understanding that all pets are unique, so we cater our approach to each and every patient based on their specific needs and comfort level. Some of the Fear Free Techniques that we utilize every day are:
Food rewards for our patients such as peanut butter, squeeze cheese, marshmallows, and crunchy treats. We encourage you to bring favorite treats for your pet, too!- Avoiding restraint where possible, using food rather than force to get the job done.
- Pre-visit pharmaceuticals for our nervous patients to take at home before coming to the hospital.
- Canine and feline specific pheromones in our exam rooms to promote feelings of calm in our patients.
- Calming tones and movements to put pets at ease
If a patient ever appears distressed we STOP what we are doing and come up with a new plan that will work for them.
What Additional Fear Free and Behavior Offerings Does Indian Trail Animal Hospital Have?
- We offer Happy Visits! - stop in with your pet and say hello! We can offer a treat, a tour, or simply the space your pet needs to acclimate and become more comfortable in the veterinary hospital. The more positive experiences your pet has while visiting us, the better the examination and treatment experience will be!
- We use a variety of counter-conditioning techniques to help pets that may be fearful of specific procedures such as nail trims and blood draws.
- We offer behavior consults and have a variety of resources available for owners on training and behavior.