Skip to content

7 Ways to Reduce Fear of The Vets

7 Ways to Reduce Fear of the Vets | Mount Vets

We all want to give your pet the best care we can. Ideally, this involves seeing them at least once a year for a full vet check-up and vaccinations, popping in every few months to collect preventive healthcare supplies, having a chat about weight, diet, teeth, having a nail clip and anything else need to keep your pet in the best of health. But sometimes, anxiety and the stress they – and therefore you – experience before and during a trip to the vet can make it feel like something that’s best put off.

How we can reduce anxiety:

Whether your pet has had a bad experience elsewhere or their fear of the vet seems to come from nowhere, we can help put a plan together to get them to love coming to see us! Depending on how severe their anxiety is, we might suggest tactics such as:

  1. Have ‘play’ examinations at home and make it fun. Start small and build it up, so it never becomes a big deal. Have a peek in their ears, play with their feet and legs as if you’re feeling for something while keeping it calm and gentle. Stroke along their backs and down their tail, and ask to look in their mouths and try to build this up. Make sure they get lots of praise, fuss and treats for being good! They’ll gradually start to recognise this as a fun game and hopefully find examinations by a vet nothing to be frightened of.
  2. If you’re going to be using a pet carrier to transport your pet, leave it out for a few weeks in advance of the visit. Make sure bedding smells of home, leave the door open all the time, and occasionally pop some treats in there.
  3. On the day of the visit, do something relaxing with them in advance of the journey. It’s likely that you’ll be worried about how it’s going to go and pass this on to your pet, so this is just as useful for you as it is for them. Go for a walk, play games, sit and have cuddles, whatever you like doing together.
  4. We stock some products that can be used at home in advance of your visit that might help calm them. We have plug-in’s that mimic calming pheromones and food supplements that work similarly. There is also a spray that could be used in carriers, in the car and on bedding.
  5. If the way to your pet’s heart is through their stomach, it might be worth arranging an appointment with us when it’s approaching mealtime or after a long walk so they’ll really appreciate a delicious snack as a reward. We’ve won a lot of affection by using the odd gravy bone at a key time.
  6. Once you arrive at the practice, try to avoid making a fuss of your pet if they’re showing anxiety. It’s only natural to want to comfort them, but to them acknowledging their fear of the vet can reinforce to them that something frightening is going on.

If you’d rather arrange a consultation to discuss their fear rather than try any of these tactics at home, we can arrange that for you. We will help develop a plan for your pet that will set them on the path to less anxious visits. You’re also more than welcome to pop in with a nervous pet when you’re passing just for some fuss and a treat. This way they know that coming to see us can be a good thing, and eventually, they’ll be happy for us to examine them and generally take the best care of them while they’re here.

7 Ways to Reduce Fear of the Vets | Mount Vets

I’ve just got a puppy/kitten, and I’d like to make sure they don’t become nervous about the vets.

We take the mental well-being of your pet as seriously as their physical health, and we work gently and calmly from their very first visit to try and ensure every consultation goes well and that they’re happy. We offer separate cat waiting areas and consult rooms in the main hospital as well as separate housing should they need to stay with us, and helps them feel less fearful in an unusual environment. We also sell a range of products that can help them deal with anxiety including plug-ins and food supplements.

Save 10% on helpful products and supplements!

If you’re a member of our Mount Active Pet Health Club you'll benefit from a 10% discount off any of these products, as well as being able to save money and budget monthly for annual vaccinations and year-round parasite control.

 

Not already a member?

If you’d like to come in and talk about an anxious pet

 – fear of visits or any other situation - call us on 01823 662286 to arrange an appointment.

Continue reading...