Calm Pets Make Happy Vets
We strongly believe in making a pet’s experience at Urban Vets as pleasant as possible.
We also understand that it can be upsetting to see your pet in a fearful or distressed state,
and so we want to help to prevent this as best we can.
Pets who are very anxious or distressed can be difficult to examine. Readings of information like heart rate, blood pressure and certain biochemical and haematology parameters from blood tests may be inaccurate when altered by stress. So, working with you to reduce stress for your pet makes our job easier too!
Visiting the clinic can be a stressful time for pets for a few reasons. They will often be coming because they are unwell, so will be feeling out of sorts to begin with. The veterinary hospital is a different environment for them, with many different smells and sounds.
Pets may remember feeling unwell when they last came to see the vet, so they can develop a negative association with the clinic. Cats especially are not used to leaving their home territory.
How We Reduce Your Pet's Stress
These factors can all contribute to an animal showing signs of stress or fear when coming to see the vet, but there are many steps we can take to reduce these feelings for them:
- We have pheromone plug-ins throughout the hospital. These release a synthetic version of the natural scents that animals produce to communicate with each other, but that can’t be detected by humans. For dogs, this pheromone is a chemical message that a mother dog releases to help her puppies to feel comfortable and secure (called DAP). Cats use similar messages to communicate feelings of safety and familiarity, found in Feliway products. These are used in our cat ward as well as the reception and consulting room areas.
- There are some very effective medications that can be given to a pet before their visit to help relieve anxiety. If your pet seems stressed when travelling to or visiting the hospital, please let us know and our vets will be happy to advise on options to help with this.
- Coming to see the vet can be a difficult experience for some cats. They do not regularly leave their home surroundings, unlike dogs going for daily walks and car rides, and so it can be quite unsettling. Please see our section on Feline Friendly Veterinary Visits for extra information on helping your cat to feel at ease.
- Please let us know if your dog is fearful or reactive around other dogs. We will bring them straight into a consultation room, or may advise you to wait outside with them until one becomes available to avoid having to wait with other dogs.
- If your pet is becoming stressed during their examination or procedure, such as blood sampling or examining a sore ear, the vet may advise stopping and admitting them to have the procedure done under sedation. This involves giving them an injection of medication to make them sleepy, so they do not become more distressed. The vet will discuss the need for this on a case by case basis, but it is something to be aware of, particularly if you have a nervous pet.
For The Nervous Nellies
Our Nervous Nelly visits are geared towards dogs who are afraid of the vets.
- During your first visit you will discuss the main concerns you have regarding your dog’s fear in the clinic. Maybe they don’t like to have their ears examined, or their feet touched. The nurse will then create a list of goals for your pet to work towards over the coming visits.
- Over the course of the four visits, the nurse will encourage your dog to approach them, perform gentle handling while giving positive reinforcement, and work towards acclimatising your dog to the vet clinic.
- As well as the training performed by the veterinary nurse team during the Nervous Nelly visits, you will also be given specific training to practise at home with your dog between visits. This helps to reinforce the training your pet receives during the visit, and helps them to feel more comfortable and confident with being handled. <
- Every dog is unique, and every dog has individual behavioural needs. Therefore, the goals we set for each pet will be different. It is important that we are patient with our pets. Small improvements in behaviour and willingness to be handled in the vet can significantly improve the welfare of our pets, which is our ultimate goal.
- If you have any questions about our Nervous Nelly Nurse visits, just ask a member of our team, and we will be happy to tell you more.
