Fear Free Dermatology: Patient Relief is a Priority
In this webinar, Michele Rosenbaum, VMD, DACVD, discusses a team approach to seeing the itchy dog, with patient comfort and relief a priority. She shares Fear Free tips and new helpful dermatology team resources for CSRs, technicians, and veterinarians to put into practice for each stage of the appointment.
Eva, a spunky and energetic German Shorthaired Pointer, is a staff favorite for more than just her adorable, tongue-hanging-out smile, but there’s one thing Eva never liked: nail trims! Prior to the hospital’s transition to Fear Free in early 2017, it was a challenge to trim Eva’s nails, requiring three or four technicians to assist with restraint, plus a muzzle and calming cap. We started implementing Fear Free teachings right away with all of our patients, but one staff member has really gone above and beyond her commitment to Fear Free training to help Eva overcome her fear. Kayla McNeely volunteered to assist with Eva’s nail trims, and she can now perform Eva’s nail trims solo, standing, with minimal assistance from Eva’s mom, Sheila, who says, “Kayla’s patience and kindness have worked wonders with my girl.” Our hospital requires all staff members to go through Fear Free training to help ensure that all of our clients, patients, and staff have a pleasant experience during their exams. We have seen a tremendous difference in many patients at our hospital since our transition to Fear Free, but Kayla and Eva’s journey together is by far our most successful Fear Free adventure to date.
Beth Chinnick, CVT and practice manager, Compassion Animal Hospital, East Berlin, Pennsylvania
One-year-old Ruba disliked having her feet touched and her nails trimmed. We trialed trazodone for six months for all nail trim visits. It started to work well, and we discovered she preferred sitting in Dr. DaCosta’s lap. Ruba now comes in for frequent nail trims with minimal restraint and no trazodone needed. We are so proud of her progress and the team’s dedication to using Fear Free techniques.
Brianna King, Clinic Manager, Watzin Veterinary Clinic, Waterdown, Ontario, Canada
Mikey Bear used to require sedation before blood draws, but I showed his amazing humans how to hold his back leg for a blood draw and wet the vein while giving him treats to get him used to the feeling. They worked on this for a month, and when they came back, the blood draw was a snap. I discovered they had added another step to the homework and were poking the vein with a toothpick at home.
Jessica Jaffe, CVT, VCA Wakefield Animal Hospital, Wakefield, Massachusetts
I was on primary care rotations at University of Wisconsin Teaching Hospital, and my first case of the day was a 150-pound Great Dane who had a history of being nervous during veterinary visits and in the presence of strangers. When I was notified that he and the owner had arrived, she went to the waiting room but was told that they were outside in the car. Even with sedation prior to the visit, he was too afraid to come out of the car. After speaking with the owner and assessing the situation, I decided that additional sedation and performing the exam in the car would spare him an immense amount of stress. We moved slowly, made intentional actions, and kept him comfortable. The smooth experience left the owner grateful. I firmly believe we took the pet out of petrified.
Bianca Ferlisi, veterinary student, University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine
When I worked at a veterinary emergency clinic, one of the dogs in the hospital was so fearful that he would begin to thrash and hit his head in the ground if anyone touched his leash. I sat in front of his cage with my back to him so he could become accustomed to my scent. Then I started placing treats in his cage and turning my back again. Eventually, I opened the door and put a leash on him and sat next to the door. When he came out of the cage on his own, I was able to walk him with no tension on the leash. Gaining an animal’s trust is a beautiful thing.
Shelby L. Dan, veterinary assistant, Downtown Animal Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Motion Sickness: Helping the Client/Pet Bond
There is nothing fun about having a client arrive at your clinic with a dog who just vomited all over himself. Many times motion-sick dogs are stuck in homes and are never taken anywhere fun because their owners don’t want to deal with the mess. Clients end up dreading putting their dog in the car, and as a result there’s a disconnect between the owner and dog. In this webinar, Amy N. Newfield, CVT, VTS (ECC), reviews why motion sickness occurs and how to help the client/pet bond get stronger.
Building a Pain Management Pyramid for Pets
Pain in pets is critically important, but it is complex and scientifically intriguing. Both acute and chronic pain in pets can be clinically challenging and easy to overlook because of the ability of dogs and cats to mask and hide their pain from us. Pain management is essential medicine, and better pain management is better medicine. This webinar focuses on building an effective, multimodal pain plan for pets.
Puppy Socialization: Running a Puppy Socialization Program in Your Practice
Normal or abnormal, all puppies can benefit from a puppy socialization program. Offering a puppy socialization program in your practice is a great way to have your clients bond with the practice, monitor puppy development, and ensure that clients get support during this critical period. In this final webinar in the puppy socialization series, Rachel Lees, RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior), reviews how to set up a program, tailor it to your practice, and support puppies who are “lemons” during their participation.
Puppy Socialization: Is This Puppy Normal or a “Lemon”?
Once you know what you are looking at and can identify puppies who are “lemons,” what do you do about them? In this webinar, Dr. Elizabeth Feltes, ACVB Resident in Private Practice, and Amanda Eick, RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior), cover options from pheromones to supplements to medications used to get these little lemons back on track and keep them in their homes. Find out how they approach these puppies during puppy consultations and what you can do in your hospital to improve the lives of everyone involved.
Sponsored by Ceva.
Crash, Boom, Bang! Addressing Noise Aversion in Dogs
It is estimated that a third of dogs suffer from some form of noise aversion. If you saw 12 dogs yesterday, four of them are likely to develop noise sensitivities in their lifetime. Not only can a fear of sounds be physiologically and emotionally damaging for dogs, but it can also strain the human-animal relationship. This session will provide you with strategies for how to approach, prevent, and treat sound sensitivities, including teaching desired coping skills. Sponsored by Zoetis.
Puppy Socialization: Is This Puppy Normal or a “Lemon”?
Ever wonder if the behaviors a client is describing are normal? What behaviors should your watch for that can tell you if a puppy is going to need more help? In this webinar, Dr. Elizabeth Feltes, ACVB Resident in Private Practice, and Amanda Eick, RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior), review normal puppy socialization and development and how to identify “lemons” who may show up in your practice. This presentation includes a review of body language in puppies using video and photos. Sponsored by Ceva.
Consider Lyme disease. While we as well as our clients may be reluctant to add another injection to a dog’s prevention program, new information about Lyme disease’s risks, transmission, and prevalence provides a compelling reason to reconsider that reluctance. What information do we need to balance those risks with the benefit of prevention?
The risk of Lyme disease is increasing, changing, and spreading.
It’s important to understand that what we know about the risk of Lyme disease may be outdated. There is increasing evidence the risks of Lyme disease continue to expand for both people and dogs in the U.S. The CDC reports that vector-borne disease has more than doubled from 2004 to 2016. Of this, human Lyme disease accounts for 82 percent. Additionally, during this period, nine new vector-borne diseases were first observed in the U.S.1
The risk to dogs is also increasing in areas not normally considered at-risk for Lyme disease. According to the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC), while the Northeastern states, upper Midwest, and Pacific Northwest still have the majority of canine Lyme cases, dogs exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi continue to be discovered outside of those areas. Their biggest areas of concern for increases in canine Lyme disease in 2019 include eastern Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and Kentucky, West Virginia, western Virginia and North Carolina. Northwestern Minnesota and some areas in Indiana are also expected to see higher than average seroprevalence in 2019.
Other longstanding beliefs about transmission may now be outdated. For instance, many of us think the risk of disease transmission from exposure to the Lyme disease tick vector I. scapularis is greatest in the spring, but the CDC says the risk of exposure to these ticks is really greatest throughout spring, summer, and fall. In addition, adult ticks can be active at any time of the year when the temperature is above freezing.3
Consider the critical role of the veterinarian.
It’s easy to see that Lyme disease prevention is a critical issue to raise with clients, and one that requires the expertise of a veterinarian. There is no replacing the combination of client education about the disease and exposure risk reduction and proper vector control, including systemic or topical insecticides and vaccination. But some Fear Free veterinarians are hesitant to add a Lyme vaccine to their protocols, thinking it means yet another needle stick and more vaccine volume administered. The good news for Fear Free Certified practitioners is that, for the majority of your patients, you can add a Lyme vaccine without adding needle sticks or more volume.
For example, dogs needing only a Lyme vaccine can receive Elanco’s TruCan™ Ultra Lyme. TruCan™ Ultra Lyme has only half the volume of most vaccines. While half the volume may not seem like a big deal to you, clients interested in Fear Free techniques will appreciate a reduced-volume vaccine. Let them know you have a Lyme vaccine that offers the same protection but with half the dose volume.
Elanco has options for dogs who need distemper and parvo protection as well as those at risk of Leptospiroris, another disease with changing risk. TruCan™ Lyme L-4 + TruCan™ DAPPi+Lyme L-4, and TruCan™ DAPPi+Lyme CL-4 all provide protection with one needle stick and the same vaccine volume as a 4-way Lepto-only vaccine.
TruCan, Elanco, and the diagonal bar logo are trademarks of Elanco or its affiliates.
©2023 Elanco or its affiliates. PM-US-23-0569
References
This article is brought to you in collaboration with our friends at Elanco.
Certified Practice Member Exclusive: Behavior Triage 101
Hear from one of the profession’s leading experts when it comes to delivering Fear Free care to even your most challenging patients! The higher the level of FAS a patient experiences, the more challenging it is to effectively and safely deliver veterinary care. With her years of experience practicing and teaching, Dr. Susan Barrett shares her unique perspectives on successfully managing these patients.