Polishing up your low stress skills. Dr. Sally J. Foote DVM,CABC-IAABC AVSAB member Okaw Veterinary Clinic Tuscola Il

Polishing up your low stress skills Dr. Sally J. Foote DVM,CABC-IAABC AVSAB member Okaw Veterinary Clinic Tuscola Il

Positive veterinary care All staff members are involved in rewarding and low stress visits for all patients - it is a part of clinic culture Doctors are part of the low stress visit greeting, exam and treatment Aware that the last memory is the lasting memory

Why do some exams go better than others? Some animals not motivated by food have to find the motivator Staff skills will vary - appropriate greetings, reading animal response Noise levels at the clinic, how the animal traveled may vary Body language, dress, and odors of the clinic will affect the patients

What skills have the biggest impact Appropriate greeting based on understanding the body language of the animal in front of us Timing the rewards to match all parts of cooperative handling Our personal mannerisms, body language, dress, voice Specific handling techniques that decrease fear, and improve staff safety

Reading body language human and other species Knowing how different species communicate is essential for developing good veterinary skills Cats ears, tail action, pupil size, holding still, whisker position Dogs ears, tail posture and wagging, pacing/panting/freeze, furrow of brow Interpretation of an animal s body language is not clear at times the tail is wagging but the dog is staring Respond according to the most stressed body language cue--the ambivalent animal

How dogs like to greet and be greeted Dogs approach side to side, check out the rear, then to the face. There is not much body contact - dogs jumping on each other are rude Is this dog play bow or turning away? Little eye contact staring indicates aggression

How cats like to be greeted Cats like to rub with the side of the cheek pheromone transfer Between the ears to the base of the neck is normal acceptable cat to cat contact area when greeting; the rest of the body depends on the cat Little eye contact staring is a huge threat to cats

Human to Human greeting Face to face - frequent eye contact - look into each other s eyes Reach out with a hand shake hug touch Share space readily eat at the same table

Mismatched greetings Humans tend to greet all animals the way a human wants to be greeted with a hand outstretched, face to face, looking in the eyes and lots of body touching. Pets have learned to tolerate or even be happy when greeted this way they learn that good things come when tolerating this greeting So a well socialized animal is ok when greeted this way. If an animal is already anxious, staff reaching out to the pet will likely increase fear and anxiety.

What is this dog telling us? Why does this girl do this?

Greeting the excited or scared dog Match your greeting to the greeting you want Active dog calm person intermittent tossing or giving rewards but when the dog is calm Shy dog, or quiet more animated voice watch response toss higher valued rewards Avoid eye contact side greeting If the dog is stuck by the owner Adaptil on dog immediately do not wait Owner give reward owner next to handler

Know the signs of anxiety Ladder of Aggression by Kendal Shepard DVM Hang in your exam and Treatment area The impact of freezing

How to keep stress down in the moment Have your technicians and doctors trained in reading the body language of dogs and cats to recognize brewing fear and aggression Be trained in how to approach handle and reward in that moment Know the degree of escalating fear and anxiety to use medications, pheromones EARLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Waiting a while reduces the effectiveness Staff must communicate to each other if they are ready for a procedure to start based on the level of agitation in the animal Be ware of Freezing the turning point for aggression

Nervous dog blood draw - proper approach, rewarding, Low stress handling technique staff communication Owner present but not handling or interfering

Tips on greeting cats assess all the time Allow the cat to rub onto you first Use Feliway on yourself marks you as their buddy Give the cat time in the room to acclimate hiding place Approach from behind or side not front If the cat is curled up do not touch

Subtle Feline body language

Body language of fear Feline

Keep your hands off the cat! For many cats hands are what trapped them, or delivered pain They react against the scruffing, holding, and touch from exam Learn towel wrap techniques Distraction techniques Rewarding during care

Make a handling plan based on the patient in front of you Mr Misty story

Animal personal space Animals have a personal space - particular to this animal watch response - 6 inches can make a big difference If the animal pulls away you are encroaching in this space limit your time there Use distractions high Valued rewards This is where less is more

Human Body language and emotional states Animals are always reading our bodies Frowning or tense facial expression - confuse dogs tone of voice that the pet likes high pitches problem Crossed arms your own body nervousness - Zen Breath

Appearance dress, uniforms, triggers Animal may have a past association with: Lab coat good or bad Stethoscope Tech in scrubs Syringe If the animal starts to show stress look at who or what has changed Think of removing or hiding triggers counter condition to these triggers

Hide triggers change what they look like

Rewards rate of delivery and timing 3 factors that affect how well rewarding will provide a positive experience: Reinforcing the calm behavior start early below threshold Reward timing as soon as animal is calm, and maintain Rate of reward must be fast - within 1 second of desired behavior

Rewarding through nail trim - classical conditioning

Understand the reward threshold Refusal of food - the threshold for fear This is a self protective response don t eat when danger is near Try another motivator praise, petting Do not force food on them Time for medications, supplements, or pheromones! Want versus need explain to client what the animal is showing - use handouts Premed for care

When an animal suddenly reacts bad home habits Be ware of home habits that set you up for problems: Cats that have had rough rubbing in play - hate any handling Dogs that have had rough play with paws - hate blood draws, nails In all of these situations you may have a calm pet that suddenly reacts because they were conditioned to do this Ask about this during intake

Ask about home play and habits think ahead of what to avoid For the paw grabbing owner keep the dog standing and do not touch the feet

New skills that are continually being learned Skills are continually improving Do not give up on an animal every visit counts to improvement Lucy lu : The first time she would come to me and take treats 4 years of annual exams and care = 8 visits

References and reading list Recommended reading : The other end of the leash by Patricia Mc Connell Feline Behavior, a Guide for Veterinarians by Bonnie Beaver DVM Low Stress handling, restraint and behavior modification of dogs and cats by Sophia Yin DVM drsophiayin.com modules of low stress handling certification program Canine body language by Brenda Aloff What is my cat saying? DVD by Carol Byrnes and Jacqueline Munera