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Fear Free Grooming Strengthens Relationships with Pets and People

By Elsebeth DeBiaseLearning to groom pets is a challenge. At first, the focus is on mastering equipment, proper trims, and avoiding a bite or nicking an animal. Great workdays for a groomer are filled with cold noses and friendly tail wags. So, what do bad days look like? Hard grooming days look different for everyone, but for me, explaining to an owner that I can’t groom their pet due to behavior is the worst. As a veteran groomer of over 20 years and a graduate of the Animal and Veterinary Sciences program at the University of Maine, Orono, I have always been committed to providing the highest quality grooming services possible with the help of industry continuing education. When the Fear Free Groomer Certification Program was released, I jumped at the chance to be Maine’s first Fear Free Certified Groomer. Fear Free planted a seed that changed my approach to the business of pet grooming. Fear Free enabled me to help more pets who were apprehensive of the professional grooming environment by focusing on the animal’s emotional well-being and forging good groomer-client relationships.

Necessary, but Never Urgent

Pet grooming provides many physical benefits to pets, including healthier skin and coat, shorter nails, and overall cleanliness. Pets and owners have more quality interactions when pets are regularly groomed and feel good. I am a firm believer that grooming enhances the canine-human bond. However, grooming is never urgent enough to sacrifice a pet’s emotional well-being. Sometimes groomers, myself included, feel pressure to do a perfect trim, but this is not always practical or possible. Often, pets require comfort grooms focusing on sanitary issues rather than esthetics; this is especially true of young and old pets. Nevertheless, it is critically important that the pet owner is on board with a pet professional’s care plan.

Individualized Care Plans

Fear Free gives pet professionals the tools to constructively advocate for pets experiencing fear, anxiety, and stress. By incorporating Fear Free practices into my grooming business, I was able to educate clients regarding fear, anxiety, and stress in pets and confidently manage client expectations. As a Fear Free Certified Groomer, I can skillfully demonstrate to a client the need for an individualized approach to grooming their pet, thus reassuring them the pet is in good hands. I have built long-lasting relationships with my clients using Fear Free principles and a sincere desire to help. Additionally, Fear Free techniques are most successful when I actively encourage owners to participate; after all, Fear Free starts in the home.

The Fear Free Difference

Fear Free is a mindset encompassing knowledge, skill, integrity, and compassion backed by behavioral science. Fear Free values helped me develop my pet care philosophy: helping every owner will help every pet. As a result, veterinarians, groomers, local business owners, and clients often refer potential customers to me. I have gained many wonderful customers this way, and I encourage all groomers to continue their education with Fear Free.

Lastly, Fear Free practices are rewarding and fun. There is no better feeling than helping a struggling pet succeed. When it comes to grooming, you can’t always do the “good dogs,” but why can’t all dogs be good with an individualized approach? The answer is they can.

Bio

Elsebeth DeBiase is an award-winning IPG Certified Master Groomer with 22 years of experience in the pet industry. As a graduate of the University of Maine Department of Animal Sciences, she has an understanding of the animal industry that encompasses farm, veterinary, and pet industries alike. In 2011, Elsebeth opened Coastal Creations Pet Salon with the goal of providing individualized services to her four-legged clients while utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, compassionate handling methods, and modern styling techniques. Her specialties include small dogs, cats, and disabled and senior pets. Elsebeth is Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified. She recently completed the Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) training for pet professionals to help raise awareness of the symptoms and prevalence of canine osteoarthritis.

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

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5 Steps to Heartworm Disease Awareness

By Jennifer Merlo, DVM, CVBMC, Fear Free Director of Veterinary AffairsWe mention heartworm prevention to pet parents during almost every veterinary visit. So how is it that more than 1 million pets in the United States have heartworm disease1? American Heartworm Society (AHS) study data collected in 2022 shows that rates of heartworm disease continue to trend upward in both recognized “hot spots” and in locations where heartworm disease was once rare.2

Due to the increased incidence of travel and remote work career options, the United States is experiencing spread of heartworm prevalence throughout the country. Despite our best intentions, our pet parents are still unclear on the severity of the disease and the importance of maintaining proper heartworm prevention.

Here are five ways to help increase your client compliance and decrease the incidence of heartworm disease in your area:

  1. Discuss heartworm prevention at every visit for every pet.

Veterinarians and veterinary staff recognize the importance of discussing heartworm prevention at puppy appointments. However, often we forego discussing it during adult and senior canine patient visits. The AHS reports that only 37 percent of the U. S. canine population is on heartworm prevention!3 This is a staggering number, and it is our job to educate our clients on the importance of prevention for every pet, year-round. We must make it a point to have this discussion with them at every visit and reinforce the importance of prevention rather than treatment.

  1. Cats get heartworms, too!

Too often we neglect to have this important conversation with our feline pet parents. Fewer than 5 percent of cats are on heartworm prevention3. Most feline pet parents do not think about their cat being at risk, since most of them are indoor-only pets. It is important to have open discussions with cat owners about the spread of heartworms. Educating them that even “indoor” cats are still at risk for mosquito bites and heartworm disease can help reduce the incidence within our feline population. Pet owners may not be aware that there are multiple options for adequate heartworm prevention in cats that do not include giving an oral medication; something we know that causes lower compliance rates in cat owners.

  1. Heartworms travel and so do our pets.

The last few years have seen an increase in the number of remote workers, as well positions that require travel across state lines. Our pet owner population now looks at their dog companions as part of the family who often travel with them. As veterinary professionals, we can no longer rely on heartworm incidence maps as they relate to our direct location since our patients are traveling on a regular basis. Heartworm disease has now been diagnosed in all 50 states and without proper education our pet parents may not be aware that they are unintentionally putting their pets at risk. Be sure to ask questions about travel, including vacations as well as work travel, and be sure that pet owners understand that all pets, in all states, are at risk for contracting heartworms.

  1. Ensure that pet parents are regularly giving heartworm prevention.

When I was in practice, I was always in awe of the fact that most pet owners had an ample supply of heartworm prevention at home, yet our records indicated they should need to buy more. This is often because most pet owners only give their pet’s heartworm prevention one-third of the time. With the numerous options available on the market today, there is an option available for every pet parent to become compliant with their pet’s prevention routine. Discuss different prevention options and gauge what your client feels they can be most consistent with. By opening the conversation and talking through what works best for them, you increase your veterinary-client bond while simultaneously reinforcing the human-animal bond.

  1. Recommend heartworm testing annually.

 Despite everyone’s best intentions, sometimes doses of prevention get missed, and it’s our job to help our pet parents provide the best medical care for their pets. Recommend yearly heartworm testing to ensure that their pet is free of heartworm disease. Make obtaining the blood sample a Fear Free experience by using a Considerate Approach through positive rewards such as delicious treats or petting and using small-gauge needles to minimize discomfort. My staff was great at using insulin syringes to obtain the minimal amount of blood necessary to perform this annual test while the pet parent offered the patient treats. Most of our patients did not even realize venipuncture had occurred! Remind owners that unless we test, we won’t know, and that it’s just as important to monitor for heartworms as it is to prevent them.

It only takes one bite from an infected mosquito to transfer heartworms to a cat or dog. Let’s join with our pet parents to ensure that all our canine and feline patients are well protected.

Resources

  1. American Heartworm Society, 2023; https://www.heartwormsociety.org/
  2. American Heartworm Society Incidence Map, April 11, 2023
  3. The Truth About Cats and Dogs, American Heartworm Society

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Want to learn more about Fear Free? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop on upcoming events, specials, courses, and more by clicking here.

Can Trapping Cats Be Fear Free? Find Out Here

Bernadette Kazmarski
We think of Fear Free techniques for handling pets in shelters, at veterinary visits, and in our homes. But some cats need to be brought to those places in a most stressful way—being caught in a humane trap. Fear Free techniques can help relieve stress even in these situations.

Most cats are trapped for TNR—neutering, vaccination, and return to a colony. Young kittens and somewhat friendly cats will often be kept for socialization and adoption. Lost cats often need to be trapped, as well as cats in hoarding and humane cases. All of those circumstances are already very stressful.

Being Trapped Violates a Cat’s Instincts

So if cats find boxes irresistible, why would walking into a wire box be frightening to them? Cats will seek and tuck themselves into small spaces for safety and as part of their predatory behavior to both inspect to find prey and hide to ambush prey. But a cat doesn’t want to be ambushed herself, and she needs to feel a sense of security about the space and see a safe exit in order to explore it.

Knowing that, we set up a wire tunnel with one way in and no way out and we expect a cat to walk into it? Yes, we do. They need to be handled, held overnight or longer, and sometimes treated while in a trap too. It’s an immense amount of anxiety and stress for any cat.

Fear Free for Community Cats

This is one area of cat handling where, knowingly or unknowingly, Fear Free techniques have long been used because following a cat’s cues and overcoming her anxiety is the only way to trap successfully.

“Working in TNR/community cat care, I think Fear Free is extremely important,” said Sterling “TrapKing” Davis, founder of TrapKing Humane. “The purpose is to prevent and alleviate fear/stress/anxiety in pets and for our community pets.”

No trapping happens without a plan and preparation for each step of the process, so the cat is treated humanely and experiences the least amount of stress: set the trap in a safe location, use high-value food as a bait, monitor the trap, and when the trap closes behind the cat cover the trap immediately to calm her and eliminate visual stimulation. Then, at each move minding the cat’s comfort and security, carry the trap and transport to wherever the cat needs to go for the necessary services and care.

“It’s things like making sure you have newspapers/pee pads in the trap beforehand. Making sure to cover the traps to calm the kitty and during transports, having a decent temperature and keeping vehicle windows rolled up as wind noise can be really scary, especially with everything going on,” Davis says. “TNR kitties will be a little confused/stressed until you return them back to their colony so Fear Free and understanding it can be extremely helpful.”

Familiarity in the Midst of Chaos

Though there are protocols for trapping, a cat rarely walks into the trap on the first attempt. All cats react to a change in routine with some amount of distrust, and you’re about to put a big change in their routine. Plan the process around familiar elements and adjust as necessary. Here are two examples from my own experiences.

Adding something new to any cat’s environment can create stress. If a cat seems particularly fearful, I’ll often start by conditioning her to the trap: set up the trap, sanitized and sprayed with pheromones, secured open so it can’t accidentally shut, and the cat can walk in and out, rubbing her scent on it. Feed her in the open trap until she seems comfortable, and when ready set the trap so it shuts when she confidently walks in for breakfast.

If the cat has a regular caretaker, they can participate to keep the cat’s routine as familiar as possible. In trapping a colony of 10, I made the plans, set the traps, then left to remove my scent and activity while advising the caretaker in messages. He opened the garage door, greeted them, then sat down with his coffee as he always did. We trapped them all in two days with very little stress because they were confident enough of their circumstances and caretaker to walk into the traps for their food.

Stacy LeBaron, host of the weekly Community Cats Podcast, agrees. “Incorporating some Fear Free techniques into a good trapping plan could benefit both the cat and the trapper during the trapping, surgery, recovery and release stages. Being calm, quiet, and relaxed are bedrocks to successful trapping and colony management,” she says.

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Bernadette E. Kazmarski is a self-employed commercial artist, writer, graphic designer, illustrator, and fine artist whose portfolio includes hundreds of commissioned pet portraits as well as landscape and wildlife artwork. She is author of the award-winning daily blog The Creative Cat featuring feline and pet health, welfare, adoption, and rescue, plus humor, poetry, and lots of cat photos. Bernadette has been rescuing and fostering cats since 1980 and works with her local TNR organization to TNR or foster/socialize. Her current feline family includes a mom and litter of five incredible house panthers and five former feral rescues in training, plus two rescue fosters from her neighborhood.

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The FAS Scale Deconstructed: The Importance of Addressing Stress Early On

The FAS Scale Deconstructed: The Importance of Addressing Stress Early On

In this recorded webinar, Fear Free’s Education Manager Lori Chamberland takes a closer look at each level of the FAS scale to empower you to score pets with greater confidence. You’ll see video examples of pets at each level of the scale and understand why it’s important to address stress early, rather than waiting until FAS 3 or higher to intervene.

You must be a Fear Free member and logged in to view this webinar.

The Neurobiology of Toxic Stress

Course Overview

In this one-hour course, you’ll learn about the different types of stress and how stress impacts the brain. You will develop an understanding of learned helplessness, the range of behaviors commonly associated with toxic stress, and the connection between those behaviors and changes to the brain. The course will finish with a discussion of the benefits of giving an animal more control and how that changes the brain. By the end of this course, you should have a strong understanding of why Fear Free principles are important for promoting both physical and behavioral health and wellbeing.

This course contains four lessons:

  • Lesson 1: Types of Stress
  • Lesson 2: Learned Helplessness
  • Lesson 3: Toxic Stress and Trauma
  • Lesson 4: The Power of Agency

    • This course was written by Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB and is approved for one hour of RACE CE.

    The Fear Free Treat Ladder for Dogs

    Each of us has preferences about what we find appealing and when! Ice cream or steak? Chocolate or strawberry? Sweet or salty? Join Monique Feyrecilde, BA, LVT, VTS Behavior, who will explore preferences, options, feeding methods, and how best to use the Fear Free Treat Ladder during veterinary visits.

    Attendees will learn :

    1) Explore a variety of options for each patient interaction and observe patient preference.
    2) Construct a ranking system for a hierarchy of available rewards based on the observed preference of the patient.
    3) Use at least three different types of food effectively depending on the procedure being performed.

    Brought to you by our friends at Blue Buffalo.

    You must be a Fear Free member and logged in to view this webinar.

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    I Burned Out. Here’s What I Learned

    Alyson Evans, RVT, CVT, Elite FFCP, CCFPAs many of you have read previously, I have been suffering from burnout. It took me a full year to accept that I needed to seek professional help to address my emotional ailments. Some days were better than others and some were darker.

    From the day I went onto the Sondermind website and filled out the questionnaire about what I needed to address, I knew I was done holding onto so much darkness, hurt, and feelings of failure and worthlessness. A therapist contacted me within the day, and I scheduled my first appointment.

    During my first session I burst into tears and felt relief. More, I felt the start of freedom from everything weighing me down. My weekly sessions dove into dark places that I didn’t realize were affecting me in an unhealthy way.

    I have learned so much: That the emotional baggage of a recent trauma I had witnessed was called secondary trauma. And that when burnout and secondary trauma come together, the result is compassion fatigue.

    I know many people are terrified of seeking professional help, believing it is a sign of weakness. It isn’t. Seeking professional help is a sign of strength and self-worth, recognition that it’s okay to put ourselves first. It’s difficult to do that, especially if we are veterinary professionals, but humans are not meant to fix everything on their own. We aren’t meant to be all-knowing and all-healing, let alone self-healing, at least not without a little help and guidance.

    At a recent therapy session, I didn’t have much to talk about other than two vivid dreams, unusual because typically my dreams fade away rather than sticking in my memory. In the first, I was bitten on my right wrist and left ankle by a snake. After some research, I learned that this dream signifies overcoming a mental obstacle or issue as well as dealing with criticism. Both were accurate. I felt like I had been healing but hadn’t fully realized it. In the next dream, our neighbor, with whom I’ve had issues in the past, was drawing beautiful chalk murals on our sidewalk. She told me she wanted to start over and admitted that she had not been very nice to me for the past two years.

    When I told my therapist about these dreams, I explained that I thought they were signaling that I was free to move on and move forward from the darkness I had been harboring. My therapist, smiling, nodded her head in agreement and for the first time I felt pride in myself and how far I have come.

    My therapist once asked how I would know that I had achieved healing. “Pride,” I said. I would feel proud of myself for learning and practicing the tools I had gained from therapy to self-heal to the best of my ability, for putting aside my self-pride to seek professional help. Now that has happened.

    My hope in sharing this journey is that some or all of you will find the strength to advocate for yourself. Take a chance on yourself and seek professional help. Speak up and ask for help or let someone know you are not okay. You can learn how to set boundaries, love yourself, and know that it is okay to not always be okay.

    Here are some things that help me daily:

    I play calming music in the car to and from work: It’s not just great for a Fear Free visit to and from the vet office for our pets, it is great for our own mental wellbeing going to and from a place that can cause us fear, anxiety, and stress.

    When I start to feel stress or anxiety, I ask myself, “Is this helpful or hurtful?” and then move on.

    I no longer work through lunch: I need that time to recharge, whether by meditating, listening to music or a podcast, or watching a Ted Talk or Netflix show.

    I make plans for the weekend or holidays: Making plans with my family helps us not to stagnate at home but to get out of the house and do things together.

    I set a bedtime for the kids: Adults need their own time. Keeping kids on a set schedule for bedtime helps parents stay connected and have time to check in on one another.

    I don’t try and solve every problem: We are in an industry where people come to us with problems that we do our best to solve. It is okay to guide family and friends toward solving their own problems and making their own mistakes.

    I treat myself: A hair appointment, a new outfit, or a mani-pedi are all ways to relax and feel special now and then.

    I explore new options: The best time to explore other opportunities is to do it when we don’t have to. If you are happily employed but want to see what other hospitals are like or what opportunities are out there, investigate them. When we are not in a position where we might have to settle, we can explore our own values in a career and determine what is important to us. Many times, this exercise can help us realize what we value in ourselves or desire in a career path or future hospital.

    I accept my feelings: It’s okay to express my feelings, whether someone else agrees with them or not.

    I’m open and honest with loved ones: When I allow myself to be vulnerable and talk about how I am feeling or anxieties or fears I have, I allow my family to be part of that, which in turn has helped them feel more involved with my life rather than just being spectators.

    Check out our Fear Free on the House page for resources on wellness, quick tips, and more!

    This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

    Alyson Evans  RVT, CVT, Elite FFCP, CVBL, is hospital manager at Briargate Boulevard Animal Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
     

    Fear Free and Physical Rehabilitation

    Providing exceptional rehabilitation services for patients while also creating a positive experience is not that far-fetched! Join Deana Cappucci, BS, LVT, CCRVN, CCMT, VTS (Physical Rehabilitation), FFCP (Veterinary), as she discusses the importance of using Fear Free techniques to alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) and create positive outcomes in the physical rehabilitation experience.

    Attendees will learn :

    1) The cornerstones of Fear Free
    2) Signs of FAS
    3) Common modalities used in rehab
    4) Incorporating Fear Free into rehab

    You must be a Fear Free member and logged in to view this webinar

    Fear Free for Humans

    Course Overview

    This course is dedicated to helping animal care professionals learn and practice skills to promote a more positive personal welfare. Throughout this course, you will learn how to care for yourself—and the humans around you—to create an environment and a lifestyle that is Fear Free for people as well as for pets! Through thought-provoking material, tips, and engaging content, you’ll learn healthier habits by challenging old ways of thinking and learning how to better protect human emotional welfare just as we do for animals!

    This course contains 6 lessons:

    • Lesson 1: Intersections of Perfectionism & Veterinary Medicine
    • Lesson 2: The Role of Vulnerability in Professional Life
    • Lesson 3: The Practice of Generous Assumptions
    • Lesson 4: The Practice of Clear Expectations & Communication
    • Lesson 5: Healthful Communication With Teams & Clients
    • Lesson 6: Tips for Emotionally Intelligent Professional Self-Care

    This course was written by Monique Feyrecilde, BA, LVT, VTS (Behavior) and is approved for 1 hour of RACE CE.

    How to Brush Your Dog the Fear Free Way

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    Mikkel Becker, CBCC-KA, KPA CTP, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CTC and Debbie Martin RVT, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior) show how you can help make brushing your dog a pleasurable Fear Free experience with your dog.

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