PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
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PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Administer anti-anxiety medications
For pets that don’t respond to the above techniques,
Bloom doesn’t hesitate to use anti-anxiety drugs,
which reduce his patients’ stress levels without making them less alert.
His preferred medications are:
• Trazadone for dogs.
• Gabapentin for cats—“100 mg two hours before
the appointment and that cat will be a different
pet when they arrive,” Bloom says.
• Diets such as Hills c/d Multicare Feline Stress
• Natural products such as Zylkene® (a casein-derived relaxation agent) and Anxitane® (L-theanine).
For veterinarians who are resistant to the idea of
changing the pet experience, Bloom reminds them
that pet fear and stress are one of the major factors
keeping clients away from the hospital, and it’s one of
the easiest to fix.
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“Fear and anxiety are nosocomial infections, and they
are zoonotic. We created this problem. They acquired
it at our hospital and it was spread by other pets and
staff, then the owners catch it,” he says.
He likens the change to what happened in pediatric
human medicine in the last several decades, when
doctors realised the patient’s experience was just as
important as the medicine provided.
“When puppies come into my practice, they aren’t
coming in nervous,” he says. “We can make it the best
experience possible, or we can make it what 40 to 50
percent of pets are experiencing today.”
Play pet-pleasing music (that may be different for cats
or dogs) at low volume in areas with animals. Include
a volume control in the room.
Add shelves or plants as visual barriers in the reception
area.
You’re ready for a little effort
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Article reprinted with the permission of DMV360, August 2015, Veterinary Econimics is a copyrighted publication of Advanstar. Communications inc. All rights
reserved.
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Dial it DOWN
You’re ready for easy
1
Offer dogs physical examinations and treatments on the
floor, if they prefer, instead of up on the exam room table
or behind the scenes in the treatment area
2
Install non-slip flooring for dogs. Too pricey? Start
with non-slip mats (yoga mats) on exam room tables.
8
Make sure cage
latches, hinges, cabinets and clipboards
all open, close and
move quietly.
Three ways to make exam room tables low-stress:
• Towels with pheromone
• Ramps or stairs up to the table
• Heated surfaces.
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3
Install enrichments
and climbing
structures for cats
in exam rooms.
or cats eliminate visualisation of other cats and phoF
torealistic cat images.
Ask clients to limit food before an appointment and bring their pet’s favorite treats. Then give lots of those treats during the appointment.
9
Offer resting platforms for cats in cages and runs.
vet360
Issue 05 | SEPTEMBER 2015 | 6
Issue 05 | SEPTEMBER 2015 | 7