Reducing Stress with Your Vet Visit

 We strive to make each visit with your pet as stress free as possible- both for you and your pet!  Here are a few ways we try to make your visit as easy as possible:
There are many triggers for your pet that can cause them stress.  Everything from their carrier, the car ride, getting out of the car into the parking lot, a crowded lobby, seeing other pets, and the exam and getting their temperatures taken can all be stressful stimuli.   Recognizing these triggers can help you, and us, decrease the stimuli and alleviate your pet’s stress.   This can also start at home.  You can help alleviate stress at home by keeping your pet’s carrier out in the open, making it a “safe” place for your pet to hang out in.  When traveling, place the carrier on a flat surface and possibly cover it with a light sheet to decrease visual stimuli while driving.  For larger pets, help make it easy for them to get in and out of the car by using ramps or slings when necessary.  For dogs it is very easy to just take them on more car rides to fun places so they do not always associate the car with going to the vet.
Once in the office, we will do our part!  We try to get you and your pet into the exam room as quickly as possible to reduce lobby stress.  We have also introduced aromatherapy to our office and you will find an essential oils diffuser in our lobby releasing light relaxing scents to help everyone stay calm.  Once in the rooms we use natural pheromones to calm and soothe animals.  Humans can’t smell these sprays but the animals will recognize the scent immediately.  We also cover our metal exam tables with non-slip pads and towels to help your pet feel stable while up there.  Many times we will leave kitties in their carriers and just remove the tops so they feel more secure.
Finally, we have introduced vaccines that will ensure less stress to our pets as well. Boehringer-Ingelheim has given us a no-needle, oral Bordetella (Kennel Cough) vaccine for dogs.  One squirt into the mouth and your dog has a year of protection!  Canine and feline vaccines also now come in 0.5 ml allotments (instead of the normal 1.0 ml).  This also makes for an easier, more comfortable vaccine experience that contains less proteins and cellular debris, which means less chance of reactions, and the same protection!
For more information, please call Cinema Veterinary Centre at 661-253-9300.