Pet Anxiety Relief
Canine Massage:
Our next day to have To the Point Canine Massage here is June 29. You must call to make an appointment if you’d like your pup to receive this very beneficial therapy. Appointments are for 20- 30 minutes and Michelle is great about letting your dog decide what they are comfortable with. Older dogs with joint problems can especially benefit from this—if your dog has arthritis or is stiff on rising, call us at 816-331-1868 to try this out!
Scheduling
lately has been a bit more challenging. We are lucky to have our Vet Tech student, Bailey, here several days a week and she is able to perform some procedures such as blood draws, nail trims, and fecal exams without Dr Leonard’s help but we are still filling our appointment slots several days a week. If it is important to you to get an appointment on a particular day or time, we encourage you to call several days in advance or schedule the next appointment at the end of a visit. While we know it doesn’t work for everyone due to travel distance, we do offer a free drop-off service for established clients for lab testing, chiropractic or acupuncture treatments, or other uncomplicated (non-sick) visits. We like to have ill patients see the doctor with their family member present so all options and treatments can be discussed. We’re doing our best to get everyone seen in a timely manner!
Dr Leonard is out of the office on the following dates: June 29, July 13, and July 27, to attend agility trials with her dogs. We are open for phone calls, to make appointments, and to make purchases from 9-3 on these days but can’t schedule patient visits. Other Fridays we are open for our regularly scheduled 9-5 hours.
Pet Anxiety Relief
It seems lately we’ve been addressing more pet anxiety problems, especially in senior pets. Many factors play into whether a pet develops or exhibits anxiety. New pets in the household, changes in family dynamics or people in the home, illness of family members (pet or people), pain from medical conditions, noise sensitivities, separation anxiety, repairs or other unusual activity in the home, cognitive dysfunction (senility), chronic health issues, and even some medications can all contribute to anxiety in our pets.
Our clinic works to reduce stress in our patients by offering treats, spraying species-appropriate pheromones in the exam and treatment room, using essential oils, and allowing the pet to set the pace for their visit. We try to avoid forceful handling techniques and use a different room for injections and other slightly stressful procedures so the exam room stays a low-stress environment. We have chosen not to pursue (costly) certification in Fear-Free veterinary medicine, but we whole-heartedly believe in using those techniques to ease our patients’ visits.
Solutions
These techniques may also be used in the home. Our staff is happy to help educate you on the different options we offer. We sell several versions of pheromones for both cats and dogs, with room sprays and diffusers as well as a product to encourage appropriate scratching post use in cats. We have chewable treats and an herbal calming formula that is available as liquid or capsule forms specific for anxiety. Both can be used together if needed. There are treats available through our online pharmacy as well for dogs with senility. This condition was addressed in more detail in a recent newsletter as well, which pet families dealing with this issue are encouraged to read. We can offer training tips, advice on Thundershirts and massage techniques, or referral to a training specialist. Some pets may need diagnostic testing in the form of bloodwork and/or x-rays to determine if there is a health condition contributing to their distress. Painful pets may need to have their pain management evaluated to see if adding medications, joint supplements, or acupuncture can help to reduce their pain and increase their quality of life. In many cases, after discussing the details of your pet’s anxiety, we can offer some training advice to help alleviate their issues over time.
Remember, your pet’s mental health is just as important as their physical health. As a holistic clinic, we seek to offer the pet well-rounded health care, always striving to optimize your pet’s health.
