When a dog or cat gets stressed or scared visiting the veterinarian, it can put a lot of stress on their owners, too. However, visiting the veterinary clinic for regular checkups and preventative care is absolutely essential to every pet’s health, whether they are scared or not. We recommend considering the following tips to help keep your pet calm when visiting the vet.
6 Ways to Keep Your Pet Calm During Veterinary Visits
1. Get Them Used to Travel
To help get your pet used to the car and their carrier, bring them out for rides that don’t end in a visit to the veterinary clinic.
2. Use Positive Reinforcement
Use positive reinforcement to make visiting the veterinary clinic a happy and highly rewarding experience for pets. Bring plenty of treats and offer them to your pet during the car ride, in the waiting room, and after your pet’s appointment. (We have plenty of treats available during your pet’s appointment.) This is especially useful for food-driven pets who seem to do anything for a snack.
3. Consider Calming Pheromones
There are several pet products that use pheromones on collars, in sprays, or in drops to help calm pets.
4. Ask About Prescription Medication
If your pet’s anxiety is extreme, there are medications available that can be administered before your pet’s appointment to make visiting our office easier for both of you.
5. Schedule Early Appointments
At the beginning of the day, there tend to be fewer animals in the office and less hustle and bustle in general. This calmer environment is better for pets who tend to get stressed at the veterinary office.
6. Keep Yourself Calm, Too
Pets pick up on our own moods and physical signals and take cues from us to determine when they should feel safe, calm, or scared. If you’re nervous about taking your pet to the veterinary hospital, then your pet will feel nervous too. Do your best to stay calm and schedule your pet’s appointment for a day when you won’t be really busy or stressed about other things.
Schedule a Happy Visit at Eastwaye Veterinary Clinic
At Eastway Veterinary Clinic, we welcome pets to visit us just for fun to help them get used to our office and staff so that visiting us for a real appointment doesn’t seem so scary in the future. To learn more or schedule an appointment just to stop by and say hello, we welcome you to contact us today.
