Low Stress Handling
Our goal at Old Farm Veterinary hospital is to not only care about your pet’s physical well-being, but their emotional well-being. If you pet is showing signs of FAS (fear, anxiety, and stress) the doctor may prescribe medication for their appointment. The main objective of the medication administration is to minimize anxiety in short-term situations, as needed, or for generalized anxiety, administered daily. It is also used to keep patients calm during vet visits or while confined before and after surgery.
Medications are often given to pets who are afraid of fireworks. It is best to administer the medication before the stimulus happens so that your pet is calm when the stimulus starts. If fireworks are scheduled for 9pm on July 4th, it would be a good idea to give the medication around 7pm before the fireworks instead of after the first boom. Another example is before a vet visit. If your pet is usually fearful at the vet, a dose before you get ready to go will allow the medication to work in time for the car ride. The time of onset and how long it lasts does vary from pet to pet. Please follow your veterinarian’s instructions regarding dose and time of dosing. Please do not change the dose or dosing time without consulting with your veterinary team first.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why does my pet need this medication?
High levels of FAS can have a negative impact on a pets physical health. When your pets stress level hormone is elevated, we can see negative affects to the immune system, changes on bloodwork, and can even shorten your pet’s life. Every time your pet is in a stressful situation such as going to the veterinarian, they learn to associate it with feeling anxious or scared. When your pet learns this association, each time they go to the vet your pet will become a little more scared and their anxiety can start sooner and sooner.
My pet isn’t aggressive, can’t you just do what they need?
We may physically be able to force your pet to do these things, but it would have a negative impact on their mental health. We don’t want them to learn to be more afraid at the vet’s office or start being afraid of strangers or you in other situations. If your pet stays at a high level of FAS, they may learn that the only way to make people stop doing things that scare them is to be aggressive. This adaptation could result in a situation where your pet is very sick or injured and making sedation risky but necessary because of aggression due to repeated negative experiences. The risk can limit our ability to provide necessary medical care to your pet.
He didn’t need medication last time, why are you saying he needs it now?
FAS often increases because of memories of bad experiences. Giving medication to lower FAS also changes what your pet is learning so they don’t continue to become more and more anxious or aggressive.
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