by Dr. Alicia Simoneau, Chief Veterinary Officer, Humane Pennsylvania

Humane Veterinary Hospitals are committed to handling your family pet in the most compassionate way. Does your pet have anxiety over making a trip to the vet? Most do.

You may observe behaviors in dogs such as not taking the normal treats that they love at home in the hospital setting as well as panting, pacing, worried eyes or hiding behind you or under a chair in the exam room. These are all signs that we recognize as an anxious dog. A cat can read your mind as soon as you think about finding their carrier. In anxious cats we may see hiding, vocalization and dilated pupils. We are here to help.

In an effort to make low stress handling a part of Humane Veterinary Hospital’s culture we have regular meetings to advance our understanding of small animal body language and how to make our patients feel less worried.

• We are offering a bandanna for dogs or a towel over a cat carrier that has each species calming pheromone. Smell is a powerful sense in animals!
• We are using high value treat rewards for dogs and cats.
• We allow cats that prefer to hide the ability to do so.
• We are being trained in using only necessary not excessive restraint.

We are making a great effort to do most of our treatments and sample collections in the exam rooms. This allows you to see what your pet is experiencing and if it’s not going well we can move on to an alternate plan.

Our technicians are being trained in identifying and addressing common behavior concerns. If it is in the best interest for your pet Humane Veterinary Hospital Doctors have several medications that they may prescribe to ease anxieties at future visits.

Watch our efforts translate to less fear for your companion and a better experience at a vet hospital for you. Contact us to learn more.