Are you stressed about taking your pet to the vet?

A study done in the US in 2011 suggested that pets’ fear of visiting the vet could be affecting an owner’s willingness to take the animal for routine health care and may cause a delay in animals getting veterinary treatment. I can totally understand this. I don’t like taking my dog to the vet clinic because I know she has had bad experiences.

The study showed that:

• 28% of cat owners and 22% of dog owners would visit the vet more frequently if it was less stressful for them and their pet
• 26% of cat owners and 10% of dog owners would visit the vet more frequently if the pet did not dislike the vet so much
• 38% of cat owners and 28% of dog owners found just thinking about a vet visit stressful
• 58% of cat owners and 38% of dog owners recognised that their pet hated going to the vet

So, health care of pets may be affected simply due to the stress of the veterinary visit. It is possible pet owners put off going for routine preventative health care due to concern for the stress it will cause their pet. There is also a risk that pet owners will put off seeing the vet about a chronic problem, hoping it will go away.

My own dog Izzy hates being out of her depth and feels quite anxious in the veterinary clinic so I had delayed her annual blood test.  Time passed and the blood test became well overdue, yet still I did not want to take her in due to my own feeling of dread at the thought of putting her through it. As a veterinarian, I am lucky that I can do things myself and I also have a great local veterinary clinic that was happy for me to just bring the blood, instead of the patient.

So, I took her blood in the way all behaviour veterinarians prefer to do, I gave her something to occupy herself that she enjoyed doing while I took her blood (as well as monitoring for signs that she was becoming too anxious)…

The fear free and low stress handling movement are changing the way veterinary clinics practice. You may start noticing changes in the way your veterinarian approaches your pet and they can also talk to you about fear and how to reduce it before even coming to the clinic. As a fear free certified veterinarian, I enjoy assisting this change and some of the local veterinary clinics in northeast Victoria and Southeastern NSW and seeing the advantages. Please share your experiences and if the stress of your pet could have reduced your willingness to go to the vet.