HEALTH - Fear Free Program Reduces Vet Visit Anxiety

It’s a rare pet that enjoys a visit to the veterinarian. Being poked, prodded and manipulated in a strange looking - and smelling - environment can be very stressful to some animals.

Dogs put on the brakes at the vet clinic door; pets freeze, tremble or strike out at the stranger poking at them. This can lead to pet owners visiting the veterinarian less often and pets’ health could suffer as a result.

In an effort to re-establish the faith of pet owners in vets, Dr. Marty Becker has created a certification program called ‘Fear Free: Taking the pet out of petrified.’

It promotes a considerate approach and gentle control techniques used in a calming environment. This leads to a reduction in anxiety triggers and an experience that is rewarding and safer for everyone.

Becker’s ‘Fear Free Certification Program’ is an exam-based program consisting of eight modules launched March 31. The program is designed for anyone working in the veterinary field – from vets and technicians to customer service representatives and managers.

While the program is currently an individual certification program, the aim is to launch the ‘Fear Free Practice Certification’ by 2018. This program is designed for multispecies and has a multi-focused approach, as designed by experts in and out of veterinary medicine.

The celebrity vet Becker, who spent 17 as the resident vet on Good Morning America and is a core founding member of Team Oz for the Dr. Oz Show, has spent his career devoted to making life better for animals and fostering the relationships between animals and humans. He has written 22 books, three of which made the New York Times bestsellers list, has worked on numerous boards and is an adjunct professional for the veterinary programs at Washington University, Colorado State University and the University of Missouri.

The introductory registration cost for the program is $279/individual and $1,399/group (for up to 10 people). Certification will be valid for three years.

The modules are as follows: Module 1: Fear Free Behaviours Modification Basics; Module 2: Fear Free Transportation of Cats and Dogs to and from Veterinary Hospitals; Module 3: Fear Free Reception and Waiting Area; Module 4: The Fear Free Exam Room; Module 5: Fear Free In-Hospital Care; Module 6: Fear Free Procedures; Module 7a: Pre-visit Protocols: Complimentary Therapeutics, Products & Pharmaceuticals; and Module 7b: In-Hospital Protocols: Sedation, Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Learn more about the Fear Free Program 

By Lindsay Seewalt

Lindsay is an experienced journalist and mother of three whose heart and home is always open to a four-legged friend. With her Corgi, Angie, as household editor-in-chief, Lindsay gives back to the animal planet through the written word on anything and all ado about pets. She is passionate about topics regarding animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, which she aims to instill in both her readers and children to be compassionate animal lovers who are conscious and considerate that furry friends around the globe deserve a voice.

AVMA Announces Guidelines for Dogs and Cats Exposed to Rabies

The 2016 edition of the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control advises that dogs and cats exposed to rabies that are overdue for their vaccine can have a booster shot followed by an observation period, rather than be subject to quarantine or euthanasia.  

The compendium is a series of best practices that jurisdictions can choose to follow and in this issue also advises reducing the quarantine period from six months to four for unvaccinated cats and dogs exposed to rabies. Euthanasia has been the primary recommendation in the past for these animals because of the high risk of developing the disease. The other option being vaccination and quarantine.

While these updates will have an impact on the care and treatment of animals with lapsed or no vaccine history, the best protection against rabies is still regular vaccinations.

Read the entire release and vaccination study here.

Western College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Mental Health Strategies

Traditionally veterinary school encompasses a curriculum largely comprised of science courses teaching students subjects like anatomy and surgical skills. Through a partnership with the University of Regina, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) has become the first veterinary college in Canada to have a trained social worker on site to help students learn to cope with the emotional challenges of the profession.

Drawn to the job because of a love for animals, veterinarians have to deal with the stress of euthanasia, witnessing the results of abuse or neglect, and the inability to provide treatment for an animal for financial reasons. 

"I think some of the common pieces that come through are the moral stress that people experience in wanting to provide adequate care to the animals that are under their care and also recognizing that there are financial constraints that the human counterpart is going to have to endure, and they are going to have to endure alongside their human clients," Erin Wassen, social worker at WCVM, said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Prevalence of Risk Factors for Suicide Among Veterinarians—United States, 2014” survey, based on answers from more than 10,000 practicing veterinarians, revealed the following:

• 6.8 percent of males and 10.9 percent of females in the profession have serious psychological distress compared with 3.5 percent and 4.4 percent of U.S. male and female adults.
• 24.5 percent of males and 36.7 percent of females in veterinary medicine have experienced depressive episodes since veterinary school, which is about 1 1/2 times the prevalence in U.S. adults overall throughout their lifetime.
• 14.4 percent of males and 19.1 percent of females who are veterinarians have considered suicide since graduation. This is three times the U.S. national mean.
• 1.1 percent of males and 1.4 percent of females in the veterinary profession have attempted suicide since veterinary school. 

By bringing in a social worker from the University of Regina, WCVM can start teaching mental health strategies before the vets start practicing.

2015 Summit Forum: Compassion Fatigue

From volunteers to veterinarians, literature shows the Urban Animal industry is experiencing ‘care/compassion fatigue’ sometimes with deadly consequences. Does imperial evidence exist to define the magnitude of the problem and the possible solutions?

Sarah Hylton-Foster created a website to help people understand compassion fatigue. The ASPCA has also provided resources for people working in the pet industry. It is designed to help people understand the signs of compassion fatigue and provides resources to help people overcome it.

Can a strategy be developed that solves this dilemma across an entire industry? Can the urban animal industry build emotional intelligence and resilience for human resources that eliminates critical interventions and removes this blight from professional careers?

Get the facts, have your say, move the industry.

If you are interested in participating at the 2015 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies please contact Shannon Woodward, Urban Animal Program Manager. 

CVMA’s 2015 Summit of Veterinary Leaders: Skills Taught, Skills Needed

Our collective knowledge about animal care is continuously growing and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) addressed these changes at their Summit of Veterinary Leaders. The title of the 2015 Summit was “Skills Taught, Skills Needed – The ABC’s of Veterinary Credentials”. The CVMA is committed to ensuring that new graduates are ready for practice and how that readiness is ensured. New graduates must meet certain competencies from an accredited veterinary school. The speakers discussed national and international accreditation and how this affects new graduates in Canada.

Partnered with the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council of Education (COE), CVMA is involved with the accreditation of veterinary schools. Together they discussed how schools become accredited and how this affects the knowledge and skills of graduates from these schools. Speakers from Canada, the United States, and Europe participated in the discussions.

CVMA states, “This discussion is intended for all CVMA members, not just those in academia. What happens in veterinary education has an effect on the whole profession and should be of interest to every veterinarian.”

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PEI Veterinarian Becomes President of the CVMA

Dr. Nicole Gallant from Prince Edward Island is the 67th president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). Dr. Gallant replaced Dr. Jean Gauvin who finished his term on July 19th, 2015. Dr. Gallant has been working with the CVMA for 8 years.

Dr. Gallant graduated from the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire at the University of Montreal in 1983. After graduation she returned to PEI and began practicing at a mixed-animal clinic. Dr. Gallant has been practicing at Kensington Veterinary Clinic for 32 years now and she became a partner in 1990. In 1988 Dr. Gallant became a councillor at the Prince Edward Island Veterinary Medical Association (PEIVMA). From 1989 to 2002 Dr. Gallant was the registrar of the PEIVMA. In 2007 she became the PEIVMA representative on the CVMA Council and in 2012 she became a CVMA Executive.

Dr. Gallant said, “It is an honour to continue my work with the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association as its president. I look forward to representing the profession across the country as CVMA continues to be the national and international voice for Canada’s veterinarians, providing leadership and advocacy for veterinary medicine.”

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INTERVIEW: Kathleen Burns, Research Poster Scholarship Applicant

Kathleen Burns (Katie) is a Masters of Science student in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph. She completed her undergraduate degree in Applied Human Nutrition. Katie loves animals, especially Tucker, the dog that she walks. Katie is performing research on veterinarians’ perceptions and their counseling approaches regarding dog walking.

InfoStream (IS): What prompted you to research the beliefs that veterinarians have regarding dog walking and how they discuss it with clients?

Katie Burns (KB): My advisory committee members and I have an interest in getting humans and animals active together. Dog walking is a great way to get dogs and their owners active! One way to promote dog walking is by discussions during veterinary appointments. Veterinarians can positively influence the physical activity levels of dogs and their owners through counseling and discussions on dog walking. There is a gap in the literature regarding veterinarians’ practices regarding dog-walking counseling and their perceptions of dog walking. With veterinarians’ ability to influence dog walking we were interested in understanding their current practices regarding dog-walking counseling and to understand their perceptions on dog walking. How veterinarians view dog walking influences whether or not they discuss and promote in appointments. If we can gather information about this then we could better involve them in dog-walking promotion!

IS: What are the goals of your research?

KB: The goals of our research are to understand current veterinarians’ practices of dog-walking counseling. This would help others in the future to better involve veterinarians in dog-walking interventions. Ultimately, we want to highlight the benefits of dog walking and recognize and reduce the barriers that veterinarians face when discussing dog walking with owners. This would help to improve and increase the discussions of exercise and dog walking in veterinary appointments with owners and may help to get dogs and their owners more active!

IS: Based on your data collection so far, what are the main barriers that are preventing people from walking their dogs?

KB: As perceived by veterinarians, a main barrier to dog walking is the owner’s busy schedule. Some participants described that owners are quite busy and it can be difficult to fit dog walking into their schedule. A dog’s behavioural issues, for example leash reactivity or aggression toward other dogs, were identified as barriers to dog walking as well. A dog’s behavioural issues can be difficult to address and can make owners nervous or hesitant to walk their dog. Interestingly, dog walking can help reduce problem behaviours in dogs, including aggression, so it is important that this barrier is addressed!

IS: How do you think these barriers would be best addressed/overcome?

KB: To address an owner’s busy schedule I think that veterinarians could provide dog owners with tips or handouts on how to fit dog walking into their schedule. For example, some tips could include incorporating multiple short walks into the owner’s schedule or making daily dog walking a family activity. Behavioural issues can be difficult to manage as there are many types of aggression and reasons as to why a dog may be aggressive. To address these behavioural issues, it is important that dog owners discuss their dog’s aggression issue with their veterinarian, as they can assist owners in the management of behavioural issues. By consulting with a veterinarian owners can begin to manage and reduce behavioural issues which may ease anxieties when it comes to dog walking.

IS: What do you see as the main benefits to taking your dog for a walk?

KB: There are so many benefits of dog walking for both the dog and owner! There are physical benefits as well as social and mental benefits of dog walking. First of all dog walking has many physical benefits for the dog including maintained agility, physical stimulation, improved physical activity level, weight loss and weight maintenance. It also has social and mental benefits for your dog which include socialization, enjoyment, discovering new smells and sights. Dog walking can also help reduce and prevent boredom, destructive and aggressive behaviour. There are also several benefits for the owner, which include increased levels of physical activity and a higher likelihood of meeting the daily physical activity recommendations. Dog walking also encourages dog owners to interact and develop relationships with other dogs and other people and presents an opportunity for the dog and owner to bond with one another!

IS: Once your research is complete, how do you think your discoveries will help veterinarians, dog owners, and their dogs?

KB: Our research can help to increase awareness of the benefits of dog walking and can highlight some of the barriers that veterinarians may face when talking to owners about dog walking. Veterinarians may use this information to recognize and overcome some of the barriers to discussing dog walking with owners. By recognizing and possibly overcoming some of these barriers related to dog-walking counseling, veterinarians may be able to better promote dog walking among owners in veterinary appointments. Our research also highlights the many benefits of dog walking which can be used to increase awareness of the benefits of dog walking among veterinarians. If veterinarians are aware of the benefits of dog walking they may be more likely to have these discussions with dog owners.  

Dog owners can use this information to understand that their veterinarian can provide them with information about dog walking and can help them to overcome some of the barriers to dog walking that they may face. They can also use this information to recognize the many benefits that dog walking has for themselves and their dog, including physical, mental and social benefits.  By recognizing these benefits owners may be more inclined to take their dog for a walk!

IS: Do you have plans to share your findings with veterinarians? If so, how will you accomplish this and what information would you share?

KB: Yes, I hope to publish my findings in a veterinary journal to disseminate them to veterinarians. I have also already shared my main findings with the participants in my study and I hope that they will share this with others in the veterinary profession. I want to share information about all of the benefits of dog walking as well as the role that veterinarians can play in positively influencing dog walking among owners and their dogs.

IS: Is there anything else you would like us to know?

KB: No, but thank you for the opportunity to share more of my research with you!

OSPCA and OVMA Unleash Got a Pet? Get a Vet!™ Campaign

The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) has partnered with the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) to launch a public awareness campaign that encourages pet owners build relationships with veterinarians. The campaign is titled Got a Pet? Get a Vet!™.

The OSPCA stresses the importance of having a working relationship with a veterinarian. “Veterinarians offer a variety of services to keep your pet(s) happy and healthy,” states Tanya Firmage, Director of Animal Welfare and Operations, Ontario SPCA. “Don’t wait until something goes wrong to take your pet in for a check-up. Schedule a visit with your local veterinarian to ensure a longer, healthier life for your pet(s).”

According to the OPSCA, veterinarians provide services such as:

• Early Disease Detection
• Spaying & Neutering
• Regular Vaccinations
• Flea, Tick and Parasite Prevention
• Prevention of Dental Disease
• Nutritional Counselling
• Addressing Behavioural Concerns
• Pet Identification
  
  

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Highlights of the 2015 Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Convention

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association is hosting their annual convention in Calgary, Alberta this year from July 16th to 19th. A Preliminary Program is available for interested parties to view.

Highlights will include:

• Kelly Lynn Cronin with Advanced Animal Hospital Group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin will discuss financial concerns and inventory management.  
• Dr. Jason Coe with the Ontario Veterinary College will discuss client communication.
• “Skills Taught, Skills Needed: The ABC’s of Veterinary Credentials.” Speakers will examine veterinary school accreditation nationally and internationally and the effects it has on licensing Canadian veterinarians.   
• Dr. Kevin Stepaniuk, with Columbia River Veterinary Specialists in Washington state, will give six presentations on dentistry issues.
• Dr. Kerry Ketring, owner of the All Animal Eye Clinic in Cincinnati, Ohio will discuss ocular examinations, diagnosis, and treatments.
• Dr. Robin Downing, hospital director of The Downing Center for Animal Pain Management, LLC, will discuss anesthesia and pain management.   “Exploring Contemporary Issues in Animal Welfare”. Speakers will introduce current animal welfare issues of companion animals to wildlife.  
• Dr. Shawn McKenna, Associate Professor at Atlantic Veterinary College, will discuss paratuberculosis and Canadian control programs.
• Dr. John Gilleard, Associate Dean and Professor at the University of Calgary will discuss the biology and epidemiology of gastro-intestinal parasitic nematodes in cattle.
• Dr. Nicholas Frank, Professor and Chair at Tufts University in Massachusetts will discuss how to recognize the physical characteristics of horses affected by equine metabolic syndrome. Management techniques will also be covered.

Online registration is currently open. The early bird registration rate ends June 1st.

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