Most of our patients are delighted to come and see us. However, there are some who don’t arrive with as much enthusiasm, and some that are absolutely petrified. This anxiety can manifest itself as simply as not wanting to come in the door of the clinic, hiding under chairs or cowering, to more extreme signs of aggression or manic excitement. This can be awful for all of us to see, and makes the experience more stressful for everyone. Thankfully, there are a number of things we can do to help.

• We tailor our visits to suit you and your pet, and take a much gentler approach with our more anxious patients. We will only perform a procedure or test if we believe it is important to our clinical understanding of your pet.
• We use Feliway and Adaptil diffusers in our Consulting rooms. These products are synthetic analogues of naturally occurring pheromones that help keep our dogs and cats stay calm.
• Cat – only areas: we have segregated cat and dog waiting areas, consult rooms and hospital rooms. The lack of doggy smells makes their time with us less stressful.
• Before visiting us we ask you to fast your pet starting on the morning of the visit: this not only makes them less likely to vomit on the way to the clinic, but makes them more likely to accept treats from us.
• Quiet facilities: we have gentle music playing in our waiting room. Our Kennel rooms and cattery are comfortable and calm, quiet places for your pet to relax if he/ she needs to stay with us.
• Medication: we have the option of using short acting relaxant medication to reduce stress associated with the visit. These are not sedatives, but help our anxious patients through the experience.