Fear Free Practice Research Paper

A movement has made its way across the country, it is a concerted effort to reduce the fear and anxiety that our companion animals as well as many of their human caretakers have upon entering a veterinary hospital setting. The ideology is referred to as a “fear free practice”. In my humble opinion I believe this should have been adopted a long time ago and seems, simply put, a “No Brainer”. The principles of a “Fear Free” animal hospital was first introduced to the field by world renowned veterinarian and most importantly animal behaviorist and trainer, the late Dr. Sophia Yin. In addition, to Dr. Yin’s work the movement was also fueled by the work of Dr. Karen Overall. The two coupled with many others who have picked up the torch of Dr. Yin’s
initial work such as Dr. Marty Becker who have made great strides in the improvement of the veterinary practice. Fear is defined as “the instinctual feeling of apprehension resulting from a situation, person, or object presenting an external threat -- whether real or perceived” (PetMD 2016).These fears trigger a response in the nervous system to either freeze, fight or flee. It is a completely normal behavior which has allowed these animals to adapt and survive for many thousands of years. The key is to identify whether the fear response is normal, abnormal or inappropriate to the specific environment or setting the animal is placed in. Many animals have a certain trigger or stimulus that sets the fear in motion, the specific stimuli is called a phobia. These animals have experienced a fearful situation, such as a thunderstorm, fireworks or a loud noise which can be called a “phobic event”.

It has been proven over and over a healthy and stable mind can lead to phenomenal results throughout the rest of the body.
I am one who is a big proponent of the holistic approach when it comes to the welfare and wellbeing of humans and animals alike. I further believe this is a great and wonderful movement within the Veterinary profession one that could lead to big dividends in the long run. But like many things most people do not like change perhaps it is like the old adage states “Better the devil that you know than the devil you don’t know”. I have read and heard that it is too costly or too much work to facilitate a fear free veterinary setting. Both of these in my humble opinion are just cop outs, the very idea to think that benefitting an animal is too expensive or too much work is mind boggling to. If I were working in a Veterinary hospital setting I would suggest some very simple low or no cost tips that could be instituted, the following are just a
few…
Noise: Keep noise to a minimum. Dogs and cats can be extremely sensitive to noises. Close kennels quietly while holding up on latches to minimize the noise. Also keep voices lowered and even phones on a lower setting to prevent the animal from startling from loud, sudden noise. Music: Use background music, like Through a Dog’s Ear or Through a Cat’s Ear, or classical music with the addition of a white noise machine, to keep pets calm and make sudden noise less startling.

Treating: Treat more frequently than you think. One of the main mistakes team members make is treating too little. The treating during a procedure needs to be frequent, nearly throughout. This means that rather than the standard one or two treats after an exam, treat throughout with a minimum of 10 to 20 treats per minute during physical handling or procedures. This keeps stress levels low and rewards calm behavior while building a positive association.
Handling: Look into low stress gentle handling such as techniques first identified in Stress Handling and Behavior Modification of Dogs and Cats by Dr. Sophia Yin. As a result of this very little simple practice according to Dr. Marty Becker if patients aren’t stressed out, they will:
1.
Have more accurate blood tests.
2. Have more accurate TPR.
3. Have more accurate physical exams.
4. Require less sedation.
5. Have less immune suppression.
6. Experience less vomiting.
7. Have less diarrhea.
If their beloved pet is less stressed, owners will be, too, and will be more likely to come back for rechecks and yearly exams. Ryan Bragg, DVM, MS, Dipl, ACVECC, and others confirmed in a recent study (R.F. Bragg, et al. “Evaluation of the effects of hospital visit stress on physiologic variables in dogs.” JAVMA 2015, Vol 246, N 2, p. 212-215) that we “should consider stress from transportation and environmental change when canine patients have abnormalities of vital signs. “Specifically, he found significant differences in blood pressure, respiratory rate and pulse rate between home and hospital environments.

References
Dog Fear and Anxiety - How to Calm an Anxious Dog | petMD. (2016). Petmd.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016, from http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/behavioral/c_dg_fears_phobia_anxiety

Nichols, J. (2016). Removing the Fear and Anxiety From Your Dog's Vet Visits. Preventivevet.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016, from
http://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/removing-the-fear-and-anxiety-from-your-dogs-vet-visits

"How to Go Fear Free In Your Veterinary Clinic". Veterinarypracticenews.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 2 Apr. 2017.