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The Impact of Pain

Course Overview

Pain is not just physically unpleasant for animals. Beyond physiological symptoms such as GI dysfunction, immunosuppression and delayed wound healing, pain also affects animals emotionally and increases FAS. If not controlled, acute pain can lead to central sensitization, chronic pain states, increased morbidity and increased mortality.

If left untreated for too long, pain can become maladaptive and lead to a vicious cycle of reduced activity, weaker muscles, even less exercise, and even more pain. This course will show the importance of treating pain early and why doing so can lessen its overall impact on patients.

This course, approved for 1 RACE CE hour, was written by Ralph Harvey, DVM, MS, DACVA, UTCVM.

This course consists of 6 lessons. 

  • Lesson 1: Defining and Classifying Pain
  • Lesson 2: Surgical and Post-Operative Pain
  • Lesson 3: Chronic Pain
  • Lesson 4: Pain from Cancer
  • Lesson 5: Impact on the Human-Animal Bond
  • Lesson 6: Modern Analgesic Therapies

Fear Free Trainers: Partnering With Veterinary Professionals

Course Overview

Many trainers are interested in partnering with veterinary practices, but are unsure where to begin and how to effectively cultivate these business relationships. This course will provide important considerations and strategies for trainers who wish to collaborate with Fear Free Certified veterinary professionals or to introduce the concept of Fear Free to a veterinary practice.

Simply stated, trainers and veterinary teams share many clients. Referrals from veterinary professionals can enhance a trainer’s business. Many of us have taken a stack of business cards to every veterinary practice in town and, while that may get us some referrals, it doesn’t allow us to build meaningful, professional teams for our clients that truly enhance care and welfare for pets.

This course will help take the fear, anxiety and stress out of working with veterinary professionals!

This course was written by Michelle Mullins, CDBC, KPA CTP, CPDT-KSA

This course contains five lessons:

  • Lesson 1: You & Your Services
  • Lesson 2: Networking with Veterinary Professionals
  • Lesson 3: Veterinary Service Options
  • Lesson 4: Reaching Out Without Fear
  • Lesson 5: Staying in Your Lane

This course is approved for one hour of CEUs from CCPDT, IAABC and KPA.

Fear Free Groomers: Simple Behaviors to Help You

Course Overview

This one-hour course will give you some simple but incredibly useful, easy-to-teach behaviors you can use with the pets you’re grooming to help make your job easier. The concepts of targeting and stationing can be invaluable for grooming—and we promise that taking a small amount of time to teach them up front will pay you dividends in the long run!

This course was written by Terrie Hayward, M.Ed., KPA-CTP, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CSAT.

This course consists of three lessons:

  • Lesson 1: Overview of Fear Free Grooming and Positive Reinforcement
  • Lesson 2: Introduction to Targeting and Stationing
  • Lesson 3: Teaching a Chin Rest, Hand Target, and Stationing

Fear Free Dermatology

Course Overview

Dermatologic conditions, such as otitis externa, allergic dermatitis, and bacterial skin infections, are among the most common reasons clients bring patients to veterinarians. Additionally, dermatologic diseases are often chronic and recurrent, so procedures may be repeated on the same patient multiple times. This course provides tools for incorporating a Fear Free approach to common dermatologic techniques used in the clinic, including ear exams and cytology, skin scrape and cytology, and biopsy.

In addition, in-home bathing and ear treatments can also be a source of stress for both pets and clients. By providing suggestions for decreasing FAS during bathing and ear treatments, we can help increase compliance for topical therapy.

This course consists of four lessons:

  • Lesson 1: Classical Conditioning and Conditioned Emotional Responses
  • Lesson 2: The Ears: Exams and Procedures
  • Lesson 3: The Skin: Diagnostic Tests and Procedures
  • Lesson 4: Bathing: At Home and In Clinic

This course is approved for one hour of RACE CE.

Fear Free Nail Trims: Behavioral Considerations to Trim Away the Terror

Course Overview

For humans, nail trims are mundane experiences. But for pets, nail care can cause stress by imposing on their personal space, restricting their freedom to move, and sometimes causing discomfort or even pain.

Successful nail care encompasses more than just being able to physically maintain nails. True success is found in gaining calm participation and trust from the animals you’re working with.

This course will teach you to:

  • View nail care from the pet’s perspective and identify several common causes of FAS
  • Understand the uses, benefits and drawbacks of each common nail trim tool: clippers, nail grinders, nail files, and scratch boards
  • Incorporate the Fear Free concepts of Gentle Control, Considerate Approach and touch gradient into nail care
  • Describe how, and just as importantly, when, to use food distractions, desensitization and classical conditioning, or consider medications to achieve Fear Free nail trims

This one-hour course is open to all professionals who are signed up for a Fear Free certification program and is approved for 1 RACE CE hour and one hour of CEUs from CCPDT, IAABC and KPA

This course consists of four lessons:

  • Lesson 1: Nails, from the Pet’s Perspective
  • Lesson 2: Tools of the Trade
  • Lesson 3: Applying Fear Free Core Concepts to Nail Care
  • Lesson 4: Going Beyond Food Distractions

Quantifying Pain

Course Overview

Inadequate pain control can damage the human-animal bond and impede an animal’s ability to maintain normal function and to recover from injury or illness. This module will focus on the fundamentals in measurement and the scaling and scoring of pain, so that we can more effectively treat patients’ pain and suffering.

This course, approved for 1 RACE CE hour, was written by Dr. Ralph Harvey, DVM, MS, DACVA, UTCVM.

This course consists of five lessons:

  • Lesson 1: Pain as a Vital Sign
  • Lesson 2: Behavioral Signs of Pain
  • Lesson 3: Scales and Scoring of Acute Pain
  • Lesson 4: Evaluating Chronic Pain
  • Lesson 5: Case Examples

This course is endorsed by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management.

You must be a certified veterinary professional to take this course.

Groomer Client and Colleague Communication

Course Overview

As a Fear Free groomer, you now understand the benefits of grooming this way. But what about explaining it to your clients or your colleagues? If you sometimes meet resistance or questions and would like some quick and handy “sticky scripts” to use for both your peers and your clients, this module is for you!

Created based on feedback from Fear Free Certified Groomers and written exclusively for them, this one-hour module will equip you with short phrases to make explaining different aspects of Fear Free simpler for you.

This module is COMPLIMENTARY to all professionals that are already signed up for the certification program.

Client and Colleague Communication is divided into four lessons:

  • Lesson 1: Defining Fear Free Grooming
  • Lesson 2: Communicating with Colleagues
  • Lesson 3: Addressing Common Challenges
  • Lesson 4: Turning Clients into Teammates

Emergency and Critical Care

Course Overview

There are lots of ways to make visits Fear Free when there is time for you and the client to discuss the animal’s FAS, add pre-visit pharmaceuticals, take your time, and even postpone non-essential procedures. But, what about in an emergency or critical care situation? Even though the procedures are not elective, there are still things you can do to help ease patients’ FAS.

This course, approved for 1 RACE CE hour, was written by Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM)

There are four lessons in this course.

Lesson 1: Challenges in Emergency and Critical Care
Lesson 2: Why is Fear Free Important for ECC Patients?
Lesson 3: Solutions for Patients in the Emergency Room
Lesson 4: Solutions for Patients in Critical Care

Understanding Medical Conditions and Pain

Course Overview

Although animal trainers can typically recognize the external signs of an animal in serious pain or distress, they are not necessarily aware of what’s going on inside the animal’s body and how it can affect their behavior. This module will discuss common conditions as well as take an in-depth look at pain management strategies and the effects of pain and stress on an animal.

This module has been approved for 1 RACE CEU and 1 CEU from CCPDT, IAABC and KPA.

This module is divided into three lessons.

  • Lesson One: Medical Conditions and Special Considerations When Training
  • Lesson Two: Understanding Pain: Effects, Signs, and Treatments
  • Lesson Three: Stress and Its Impact on Body and Welfare

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