November 2, 2017
FEAR FREE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL
In this week’s blog, I wanted to introduce you to Fear Free Veterinary Visits and what it means for you and your pet. Veterinary visits are often a big stressor for our patients as well as their pet parents. In fact, one of the main reasons that people hesitate to bring their pets in for visits – be it routine or sick visits. There is a new movement to help change that – to help create and environment to where you and your pet do not worry or stress about coming in to see us. We are here to help you create a plan for all stages of your visit. It’s important that our clients know that we don’t judge bad behavior in our patients. We know they are family members and that it’s often difficult. For example, cats are very much creatures of habit, imagine a cat that lives indoors 365 days a year – to bring them out into the big great world, even for a short 1-2 hours can be very difficult for them and in turn for you. Imagine yourself in their position. Of course, many pets don't seem to mind, dare I say some even LOVE to come see us, but for the rest of you, we are here to help!
Earlier this year, Dr. Zumpano became Fear Free certified and I recently followed suit. We are working on incorporating the Fear Free program throughout the hospital. Every member of the staff is involved from the client services representatives to the nurses and the veterinarians.
The Fear Free plan starts from the minute you make your appointment and doesn’t end until you get your pet safely home. We also recognize that some patients that are hospitalized for illnesses and for procedures will also benefit from this program. It’s no secret that stress plays a major role in healing time as well as success.
Our goal is to make your pet benefits from this program and we look forward to continuing to provide a safe comfortable environment for you and your pets. We welcome you to visit http://www.fearfreepets.com to learn more about helping to make this part of your pets lives more positive.
Next week I will be talking more about the different things that we do to help you and your pet make the most out of your visits to Pikesville Animal Hospital.
Until next time!
