It can be frustrating when you book a day to visit the vet with your pet, and they just aren’t cooperating. It can be even more frustrating when the vet and the staff say that they can’t complete the vaccines, bloodwork, or other diagnostics that your pet needs and ask you to come back another day. On top of that, you are asked to pay more for medications because the “vet can’t do their job.”
Absolutely, the frustration is not lost on the clinic either. But, as frustrating as this might be on both sides, this is what’s best for the pet.
Veterinary medicine, like every area of science, is constantly changing and developing. This includes all aspects of medicine: the tools we use, surgical techniques, nutritional recommendations, as well as what’s known as “clinical best practices.” This includes how best to conduct a patient visit to the hospital.
“Back in the day,” veterinary medicine could be described as very human-focused. This means that the consideration for how best to conduct the appointment included thinking about the needs and wants of the owner and the veterinary staff.
With this line of thinking, it was not uncommon to conduct physical exams high up on a stainless steel table, regardless of the size and species of the patient. It also wasn’t uncommon to muzzle dogs and scruff cats if they weren’t cooperating. It would often take multiple staff to restrain an uncooperative animal and label that patient as “aggressive.” Bites and scratches were a part of the job.
As veterinary medicine progressed, veterinary staff now know differently. We know that there are very few truly aggressive animals. We know that when animals act out in veterinary clinics, they are experiencing some form of fear, anxiety, and/or stress. This way of thinking became mainstream in clinical practice and shelters with the help of the Fear Free movement, founded by Dr. Marty Becker.
This approach recognizes that the patient’s perspective and experience must be taken into account when they visit the hospital. Every effort should be made to eliminate or significantly reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in the animal.
This is done by listening to the behaviors and signals of the patient. This might mean that not all vaccines are given in a day if the patient has a short fuse. This means using mild, oral sedatives for pet parents to give at home before a visit. This also may mean injectable sedation in order to complete in-house diagnostics. This list is long and in-depth, and you can visit Fear Free Pets if you want to read more about Fear Free. This was the foundation for what has now become best practice these days.
The point being, this is a good thing if your clinic comes to you and asks that you bring your pet back on a separate day with some medications on board. This is a good thing if they are quoting you for injectable sedation when completing in-house diagnostics.
For one, this means that they are protecting the psychological health of your pet. It’s the kinder thing to do. Sure, it’s definitely possible to muzzle and physically restrain pets, using force to keep your dog in place for an ultrasound, but that’s not kind to the animal. It also doesn’t set that dog up for success for any future visits. Pets learn how to behave based on past experiences, just like people do. Meaning, this behavior is likely to escalate with each subsequent vet visit.
Secondly, when using either pre-visit pharmaceuticals or injectable sedation at the vet, that means that diagnostics will have more value when completed. The blood sample will likely be a smoother draw if the technician and assistant aren’t struggling with your pet. The ultrasound images taken are going to be clearer and of higher quality and quantity if the pet is relaxed, not panting or struggling for the duration of the test. Blood tests, imaging, and other diagnostics can quickly add up. Therefore, your veterinary team doesn’t want to waste your money on tests that might yield unclear or vague results due to a patient’s fear, anxiety, or stress. Therefore, this is an effort for you to get the most value out of your visit.
Another big reason your vet may be advocating for the use of pharmaceuticals or for your pet to come back on another day is the safety risk. If you look at the arms of any veterinary technician or assistant that has been in clinical practice for 10+ years, there’s likely to be an array of scars along their arms.
The clinic has an obligation to their staff members to protect them from harm. Animal bites and scratches can lead to serious consequences and almost always mean a trip to the hospital for liability reasons. This means that if a veterinary team member endures a bite or scratch, that team member is out to the emergency room for the rest of their shift. This then limits the clinic’s capacity to see more sick pets on that day. It just wouldn’t make sense to risk not being able to help more families for one pet.
Contrary to some reviews we might see from pet parents, or posts on social media, when your veterinary team is prescribing or quoting you for pre-visit pharmaceuticals or sedation it’s a good thing. By considering the perspective and experience of the patient, veterinarians and their staff can provide better care and more accurate diagnostics. This approach not only benefits your pet’s psychological health but also ensures that the veterinary team can work safely and efficiently.
So, the next time your vet suggests a separate visit or the use of medications, remember that they have your pet’s best interests at heart. Embracing these new practices is a positive step toward improving the overall experience and outcomes for pets and their owners in the veterinary setting.