Horses are inherently prey animals, thus they are very attentive to their surroundings and potential dangers. Our team recognizes that an animal’s anxiety of veterinary treatment might influence an owner’s mindset regarding veterinary consultations.
In what ways does EquidDoc assist horses with anxiety?
We have been concentrating on Fear Free veterinary medicine, improving our abilities, and expanding our understanding of training, horse behavior, and the most compassionate ways to ensure veterinary procedure compliance. Although we have been applying these ideas for many years, all the veterinarians, technicians, and assistants at EquidDoc are now certified in Fear Free.
What is Fear Free?
Reducing the tension, worry, and fear that horses frequently feel during veterinary appointments is the main goal of fear-free practices in equine veterinary medicine. The Fear Free certification program expands on how to carefully evaluate patients using gentle methods, conduct regular operations in a non-threatening manner, identify tension in patients, and assist owners in training their horses to comply with medical treatment, hoof care, and other tasks.
How is the Fear Free technique performed?
A key aspect of this training is clicker training with positive reinforcement. This can help horses link veterinary treatments with rewards, rather than fear, and mold desirable behaviors. This can familiarize patients with the idea of clicker training and help them become ready for veterinary treatments.
What if the Fear Free technique is not successful?
In emergency situations or when training techniques are insufficient to reduce severe anxiety and tension, a veterinarian may use pharmaceutical assistance. For some patients, we may even recommend that owners administer anti-anxiety medications or oral sedatives in advance of veterinary visits.
Can Fear Free techniques be combined with pharmaceutical assistance?
Combining multimodal pharmaceutical intervention with Fear Free handling creates an integrated approach that not only alleviates stress and pain but also helps veterinarians perform procedures more efficiently and safely. This comprehensive approach results in more effective treatment, better patient outcomes, and improves the relationship between veterinarians, owners, and their horses.
If you have questions about Fear Free equine veterinary practices or have an equine that may have anxiety around veterinary visits, please give us a call (508-885-4205) or email office@equiddocvet.com.