Sea You at Fetch Long Beach
|Articles|December 1, 2012

Veterinarians: Create a nook with a towel and a tube

Give small patients a comfortable, stress-free place to rest.

We roll our towels into a tube and then place them in an oval or circular shape in the back of the cage. Cats, kittens, and small dogs seek out this nook as a safe place to curl up. Giving them a special nest seems to ease anxiety and stress.

—Chrysa Dunser, DVM

Hyde Park Veterinary Clinic

Tampa, Fla.


Related to this article

Q&A: Caregiver burden can begin early in pet illness. Are veterinary teams equipped to support clients, and how can veterinary social workers help both parties?
Caroline Cox, LSW, MSW, and Erika Krick, VMD, DACVIM (Oncology), discuss the role of veterinary social workers in supporting clients, communicating with veterinary teams, and helping practices address the human side of veterinary care in this Q&A from an interview at the 2026 Fetch National Harbor Veterinary Conference.
Inside veterinary social work
In a slideshow drawn from an on-site dvm360 interview at the 2026 Fetch National Harbor Veterinary Conference, a veterinary oncologist and a veterinary social worker walk through how the role supports owners and staff across a pet's cancer diagnosis, treatment, and end-of-life care.