Meet the needs of hospitalized feline patients
Stress: Are you focusing on this one of the five basic freedoms for cats in your care?
Fetch dvm360 conference speaker Sheilah Robertson, BVMS (Hons), PhD, DACVA, DECVA, CVA, MRCVS, preaches the five basic freedoms for animals in your hospital:
1. They shouldn't be fearful
2. They shouldn't be hungry or thirsty
3. They shouldn't be uncomfortable
4. They should be able to express normal behavior
5. Here's a huge one for kitties in the clinic-they shouldn't be stressed out.
Eliminate stress in your clinic
Start here to brush up on low-stress techniques.
Help clients with this low-stress handout.
It's good for the staff too: Low-stress brings pride and respect.
Think that seems impossible? Dr. Robertson says you must consider that the cat who meets you in the exam room is a "snapshot."
"What we have to do is remember, the whole stress for that cat-and its owner-started long before it arrived at our clinic," she says.
Though she says there is a ways to go, Dr. Robertson believes that great strides have been made with Fear Free tactics, low-stress techniques and preparative medication. Watch the video for more.
