The fact of the matter is animals are bombarded with a confusing abundance of smells, sounds, sights and textures that are overwhelming to them causing them to become overstimulated and consequently suffer fear, anxiety, and stress. Every visit confirms the fear they suffer causing subsequent visits to be more stressful and combative behavior to escalate. It's not their fault. They are confused and no matter how many times we tell them they are o.k and we are not here to hurt but rather help, they don't understand. They don't speak English.
At Leesburg Animal Hospital, we have recognized this behavior in our patients and are taking major steps to address the culture of our hospital so that we can make the visit as enjoyable as possible. The doctors, as well as the staff at Leesburg Animal Hospital, have completed training to help us better understand the mindset of our patients. We feel if we understand the patient's point of view and from where their anxiety is coming, we can better understand the emotions they are feeling and hopefully communicate with them effectively. By doing so, we feel we can give excellent patient care through our techniques of compassionate approach and gentle control. We want every visit to be as safe and comfortable for our patients and our staff by reducing the fear, anxiety and stress of everyone.
We encourage owners to communicate with us. We want to know the things that will make their pet comfortable. That may be things like bringing their bed from home to sleep on while boarding or their favorite food treats to feed during an exam. If owners feel their pets remain calm by waiting in a certain area, whether it be the exam room, the waiting room, or even the car, we want to accommodate those needs. We also offer what we call "pre-veterinary pharmaceuticals." Pre-veterinary pharmaceuticals are anxiolytic drugs prescribed to be given the night before and again a few hours before the veterinary visit to help reduce their stress level. Understanding that it may take a few visits to get our tools and techniques tweaked, we know we can make your pet more comfortable while at the veterinarian.
We invite you to visit fearfreepets.com. This website explains our training and certification and what our goals are by becoming Fear Free certified. Take a look; browse around and tell us what you think. If you like what you see, make an appointment with Leesburg Animal Hospital and see if your pet can benefit from our Fear Free techniques.