We realise that not all pets love to visit us at the vets. At Molecare Pet Vets we strive to employ ‘Fear Free Practice’ to keep your pet’s visit as stress free as possible.
What is Fear Free Practice?
Fear Free Practice is a movement to limit fear, anxiety and stress for your pet when visiting the vet. This is achieved via modifications in our handling, procedures and facilities to try to keep your pet feeling safe whilst providing the medical care that they need.
How do we keep your pet feeling safe?
Our staff use techniques with a focus on keeping your pet relaxed so they have the best experience possible whilst visiting our practice. We are trying our best to provide for their emotional as well as physical and medical needs.
Day to day, this means we:
- Take the time to introduce ourselves to your pet when we meet them. For example, if your pet comes in for an operation, we will spend the time building up trust with them.
- Examine your pet at their own pace
- Respectfully handle your pets. We do not, and will not ever scruff a cat.
- Provide plenty of positive reinforcement and rewards with treats
- Use calming diffusers, infused blankets, and room sprays.
- Provide plenty of cuddles when your pet is staying with us for the day
- Wherever feasible, we will tailor your pet’s stay with us when hospitalised to limit stressors. This can include:
- Housing them separate from other animals if they are not keen on company.
- For dogs, keeping them with us on a mobile dog bed with a staff member if they are fearful of the kennels.
- Separate cat and dog kennels and waiting spaces.
- Cat hideaways in their cattery so they can stay out of sight if they prefer.
- A delicious bowl of food as soon as they are able after operations… Nobody likes to be hungry!
- When appropriate, music to help your pet feel at home.
- Use numbing cream before placing cannulas for our day-patients and hospitalised patients.
- Can dispense medications to reduce stress before your pet’s visit for a consultation or operation. These are taken the night before and about 2 hours before your visit and will take the edge off the worry.
We understand that a veterinary practice is going to be outside of the norm for your pet and not all animals will greet us with waggy tails or a purr. For those who are not as keen to visit, we hope that the above alterations will make their time with us the best it can be. We strive to treat your pets as if they are our own, and wherever feasible we will make adjustments to accommodate this.
If you are worried about your pet getting stressed when coming to visit us, contact us on 01626 835 002 to discuss options to reduce their anxiety.
