Cayuga Veterinary Services
Fear Free
Fear Free strives to “take the pet out of petrified” and “put the treat into treatment!” and assist pet owners in helping their pets live happy, healthy, full lives.
Overview:
Fear Free is a unique program that has a proven record of success in reducing pet fear, anxiety, and stress by understanding when pets are communicating these behaviors. We partner with you to manage and change the behavior of your pet to provide a Fear Free experience for all.
With over 52,000 veterinary and pet professionals committed to becoming Fear Free Certified, Fear Free is one of the largest initiatives to this day.
Fear Free’s mission states, “Our mission is to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets by inspiring and educating the people who care for them.”
Benefits:
Reduce your pet's fear, anxiety, and stress
Minimize physical restraint
Hospital/Pet Parent Partnership
Online Resources
Why Choose Fear Free:
Your pet’s enrichment and emotional well-being are Fear Free’s top priority. Our Fear Free certified team will partner with you to tailor a plan that improves your and your pet's experience at our hospital. Together, we will prepare for a hospital visit before, during, and after your pet becomes conditioned to enjoy a weekend with us.
Learn More:
To learn more about what you can do at home to reduce your pet's fear, anxiety, and stress, please visit Fear Free’s website:
Our Fear Free Commitment to You and Your Pet
We are proud that all of our employees on our team are Fear Free certified professionals. We are dedicated to caring for your pet’s emotional well-being as well as his or her physical well-being.
We’d like you to know how we meet that goal. Is your pet showing signs of bad stress and anxiety before arriving at the veterinary office? Ask us if pre-visit sedation or supplements might take the edge off and keep your pet happy and relaxed.
Would your pet be more comfortable waiting in the car rather than the waiting room? Just let us know, and we’ll be glad to accommodate you.
You’ll be brought into the exam room a few minutes before your pet will be seen because we’d like the two of you to spend some calm time together. This will allow your pet to explore the room and relax a little first.
Special calming chemical signals, known as pheromones, are infused throughout the room. Only dogs and cats can smell them, and they find them relaxing.
We promise to keep our voices low and calm, and to never use force to examine, test, or treat your pet. We’ll use gentle control techniques, innovative tools, and medication when necessary to ensure your pet’s emotional health isn’t sacrificed for the sake of medical care.
Unless it’s medically inappropriate, we’ll be giving your pet lots of treats during the visit. This is so he or she starts associating a trip to the veterinarian with good things! That will keep stress levels low. Bringing your pet into the appointment hungry can help this process along!
Some pets prefer to be examined up high, on the table, in your lap, in their carrier, or on the floor. We’ll go where we need to go to make your pet comfortable during the exam. We’ll also use specialized distraction techniques to keep your pet focused on good experiences while we perform procedures such as injections that might cause brief stress or pain.
