Читать книгу Textbook for the Veterinary Assistant - Lori Renda-Francis - Страница 63

The mission of the Fear Free initiative is to ease fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) in pets, in addition to educating and motivating the owners who care for them. Fear Free is about improving the health and welfare of animals.

Pets need members of the veterinary health‐care team to look after their physical and their emotional well‐being. Fear Free provides tools, protocols, procedures, and guidelines on how to decrease FAS in patients. Decreasing FAS in patients has a domino effect and we see a decrease in pet owners and veterinary team members as well.

The focus of Fear Free is on preventing FAS in every patient and the concepts should be used with all patients, whether they are relaxed and happy to be in your care or afraid and displaying avoidance or aggression.

Remember, animals and clients have specific preferences. The first step is noting these preferences in the pet’s medical record. Also consider starting an emotional record for each individual patient, in addition to the medical portion.

Some of the key concepts of applying Fear Free while providing medical care include communication, considerate approach, gentle control, and touch gradient. Creating a plan of action for each patient can be a quick process that saves time and creates a more pleasant experience for the veterinary healthcare team, patient, and client.