Veterinary trips can be stressful for everyone involved. Our goal at Beacon Veterinary Hospital is to minimize that stress and make every visit as pleasant as we can. We love your pets almost as much as you do and take pride in our gentle and low-stress handling skills.
Did you know that there are ways you can help us?
Here are our top tips to make a veterinary visit fun for all involved:
● Bring your dog and cats hungry! If they have freely available food, take it up the night before (assuming they won’t harass you all night for snacks). If you usually feed in the morning, skip breakfast. A hungry pet is easily distracted with treats. We keep a variety on hand for visits including peanut butter (let us know if you have an allergy, please!), squeeze cheese, liver treats, marshmallows, and many others. If your pet has a food allergy or a preference for treats, feel free to bring your own.
● If your pet has a comfort item, like a blanket, sweatshirt, stuffie, or bed, please bring it too.
● Schedule happy visits with us. These are visits that involve your pet receiving snacks freely, standing on the scale, and receiving love and attention. No needles, no nail trims, just good vibes.
● If your pet has a physical illness or concern, it’s always important to talk about it, but try to keep appointments focused. If your pet comes in for a possible ear infection, that’s not the best time to bring up a limp, as well. Too many concerns crammed into one visit makes it hard to address each separately and carefully.
● If we prescribe pre-medications for your pet, please administer them as directed. We often use gabapentin to relax kitties. Similarly, we often use a combination of gabapentin, trazodone, and clonidine with dogs. Our goal is to minimize stress and anxiety, as well as the possibility of injury to your pet and our staff. Even the best dogs may feel the need to defend themselves when scared or in pain.
These medications are very safe, or we wouldn’t choose them. They have large dosing ranges, so we can adjust as needed for anxious pets. We don’t want to ‘just drug’ your pet, we want them to be relaxed and unafraid.
● When possible, the primary caretaker for your pet should attend the appointment. It’s easiest to talk to someone who is familiar with the day in and day out care, which keeps the appointment on track.
● Leave other pets at home when possible. Small exam rooms make it difficult to do a physical exam and administer vaccinations when another pet is present and also begging for treats.
Here are our top tips to make a veterinary visit fun for all involved:
● Bring your dog and cats hungry! If they have freely available food, take it up the night before (assuming they won’t harass you all night for snacks). If you usually feed in the morning, skip breakfast. A hungry pet is easily distracted with treats. We keep a variety on hand for visits including peanut butter (let us know if you have an allergy, please!), squeeze cheese, liver treats, marshmallows, and many others. If your pet has a food allergy or a preference for treats, feel free to bring your own.
● If your pet has a comfort item, like a blanket, sweatshirt, stuffie, or bed, please bring it too.
● Schedule happy visits with us. These are visits that involve your pet receiving snacks freely, standing on the scale, and receiving love and attention. No needles, no nail trims, just good vibes.
● If your pet has a physical illness or concern, it’s always important to talk about it, but try to keep appointments focused. If your pet comes in for a possible ear infection, that’s not the best time to bring up a limp, as well. Too many concerns crammed into one visit makes it hard to address each separately and carefully.
● If we prescribe pre-medications for your pet, please administer them as directed. We often use gabapentin to relax kitties. Similarly, we often use a combination of gabapentin, trazodone, and clonidine with dogs. Our goal is to minimize stress and anxiety, as well as the possibility of injury to your pet and our staff. Even the best dogs may feel the need to defend themselves when scared or in pain.
These medications are very safe, or we wouldn’t choose them. They have large dosing ranges, so we can adjust as needed for anxious pets. We don’t want to ‘just drug’ your pet, we want them to be relaxed and unafraid.
● When possible, the primary caretaker for your pet should attend the appointment. It’s easiest to talk to someone who is familiar with the day in and day out care, which keeps the appointment on track.
● Leave other pets at home when possible. Small exam rooms make it difficult to do a physical exam and administer vaccinations when another pet is present and also begging for treats.
Lastly and most importantly, if you are stressed, your furry family member will often sense this. Relax and rest assured that we are going to provide a calm and thoughtful experience. If you have questions about our handling techniques, or preferences about how your pet is handled, do not hesitate to express them. Some people want to be present for everything, while others have a needle phobia. We are here to keep your pet healthy and make sure you are comfortable with everything we do.
