Read about some strategies that you can use to help your cat or dog calm down and stay that way for the duration of their vet visit.
Top Tips To Keep Your Pet Relaxed During a Vet Visit
When you have a cat or dog, visits to the vet and pet spay clinic are a fact of life. Those early visits are particularly crucial, as neutering your pet and ensuring they get all their shots should happen as soon as possible. Try not to put off spaying and or neutering a cat or dog, for it may risk contributing to the already massive number of homeless animals, Plus if your pet gets pregnant — you will be dealing with more than one pet to care for. Just an FYI, it is possible for cats and dogs to get pregnant as young as five months old.
If you have been avoiding a trip to the vet because your animal gets extremely anxious or scared from the visits, worry not. There are strategies you can use to help your cat or dog calm down and stay that way for the duration of their vet visit.
1. Make the experience rewarding
How does one communicate to a pet, “You did a good thing.” It’s easy — by bringing treats. Reward your pet for completing each step that they find challenging. For some cats and dogs, everything is fine all the way up to a vaccination or some other invasive procedure; for others, it is a battle just to get into the car. Whatever part your pet is struggling with, make sure to give them an enticing treat upon its completion. The pleasant association will make them more and more cooperative over time.
2. Use the art of distraction
If your pet has nothing to think about but what threatens them just around the corner at the vet’s office, it will be easy for them to get anxious and scared. Fortunately, here’s one way to help distract them and put their mind at ease. Talk to your pet, and soothe them. Command your dog to do some of their tricks that they may know as well. Your furry friend will be focused on remembering and performing specific tasks, rather than being focused on his anxiety. Just FYI, — it will most likely only work with a dog owner, as cat’s have a mind of their own.
3. Do not just drive your animal to the vet or pet spay clinic
If every time your cat or dog gets in the car it is taken to the vet or to the pet spay clinic, it will associate the vehicle just with these places. To avoid this and make sure that your pet is willing to get into the car, make an effort also to drive them to places they enjoy, such as the park. Doing this regularly will make your next trip to the veterinarian office much easier.
These tricks, when combined with the expertise of the staff at AZPaws.org, will ensure that your pet has a stress-free trip to the clinic.