I have been involved with veterinary medicine for over 25 years. I learned a long time ago that if you have a new idea, the hope is that you also have patience, because veterinary medicine doesn’t instantly embrace new ideas. However, I suppose many veterinary professionals are very familiar with Fear Free, LLC, which was launched in 2016 by Marty Becker, DVM, and the public is becoming increasing familiar with it, as well.
What is Fear Free?
- Previsit pharmacology—whether pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, pheromones, or a combination— and likely pairing it with behavior modification to provide pets with the ability to enter the clinic calmly.
- Making the visit as pet friendly as possible, using distractions such as high-value treats like peanut butter or tuna, soft music, and willingness to meet the pet emotionally without force, such as examining a cat in the carrier.
- Using touch gradient (predictability of what’s next), gentle handling, and more. Even the architecture of the clinic itself may be adjusted to be more Fear Free.
- Creating a pet parent–conscious environment. Understanding the stress level of clients coincides with the escalating stress level of their pet (and vice versa). Also, today’s pet parents want explanations for everything and, as 1 example, don’t want you disappearing with the pet in the “dreaded back” without a reasonable explanation.
Only 6 years later, a relatively short time in veterinary medicine, Fear Free came along at the right time, exceeding expectations, even of its founder. Today, the standard line ought never to be “just get the job done,” even if the pet is petrified. Veterinary professionals of a certain era were once taught just to get it done, and worrying about emotional fallout wasn’t even a consideration. In fact, no one knew or cared about such things.
Karen Overall, MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB, CAAB, has said for years, “Fear is the worst thing a social species could experience, and it causes permanent damage to the brain.”1
In my personal experience, I imagine many animals believe they are going to die when they arrive at the veterinary clinic, and that terror may occur at the mere sight of the carrier for some. I have no data to back it up, but veterinary professionals have most likely seen the sheer terror in patients. I assume these individuals believe they’re fighting for their lives. It does not need to be this way, and today’s pet parents, who are more attuned to their “fur baby’s” feelings than ever before, aren’t going to allow for this.
It’s all about perception. If that client (particularly millennials) believes your team has “manhandled” their cat or if a practice calls in the National Guard to wrestle a dog, it’s over. Worse than losing a client, the description of the epic battle could be all over the Internet in an hour.
Of course, the quality of an exam is skewed when a patient is terrorized and there is a poten- tial that the patient may be injured, not to mention an increased risk of injury to a member of the veterinary team. Again, as Becker repeatedly says, “It’s simple: Today, we know better. We can take the ‘pet’ out of ‘petrified.’”
