Free Fear Handling

Question 1

Why is behaviour important?

Answer 1

1. Often the reason why an animal is brought to a vet since owner has noticed a behaviour change
2. More pets die of behavioural problems than diseases. Undesired behaviour is #1 cause of death in dogs under 2 yrs
3. 22-82% of behavioural problems have a pain component

Question 2

Most common form of pain

Answer 2

Arthritis

Question 3

Chronic pain

Answer 3

• Often changes a re subtle
• can be hard to see
• animal is able to hide injury when at a vet clinic when stressed and adrenaline is high

Question 4

Stress induced analgesia

Answer 4

Stressed individual in “survival mode” will have reduced pain and be able to mask it.

Often occurs in vet clinics

Question 5

Animals environment adjustment and welfare concerns

Answer 5

If an animal fails to adjust to environmental conditions it could become a welfare concern.

Question 6

How can fear, anxiety, and distress affect an animal?

Answer 6

• Bad association to vet clinic
• changes in vitals so harder to establish a baseline
• Can worsen disease by compromising immune system
• Decrease production in production animal
• Risk of injury for animals and humans
• Can stress out other animals
• Decrease effectiveness of sedation due to high adrenaline
• Can cause client stress
• Takes more time and staff to take care of the animal

Question 7

Cat behaviour after vet visit

Answer 7

Often cats act remote and unfriendly for days after a vet visit

Question 8

Animal stress/behaviour impact on occupational health and safety

Answer 8

Vets are 9.2x more likely to experience severe injury compared to other medical professionals (WCVM has highest injury rate at U of S)

• Increases owner and vet staff stress
• Impacts owners willingness to seek vet care which often delays vet care for sick or injured animals

Question 9

What is fear?

Answer 9

Response to what is happening in the moment that the threat is present. It is used to increase survival of individual.

Question 10

Similarity of Fear, Anxiety, Stress

Answer 10

Often share behavioural responses because they run along the same neuro pathways (amygdala). Makes it hard to distinguish what is actually causing the behaviour.

These behaviours make the threat way worse for that individual then it actually is… BUT it is their reality.

Question 11

Responses to Fear

Answer 11

1. Freeze
2. Flight
3. Fight

Question 12

Freezing in response to fear

Answer 12

Linked to learned helplessness. When an animal is exposed to an inescapable stressor, they will freeze.

Can happen in clinic.

Associated with increased cortisol and decreased negative HPA axis feedback

Question 13

Fight in response to fear

Answer 13

Threat is there so quickly that the individual does not have a chance to escape.

Will often display early warning signs to tell threat to go away (growling, charging, make themselves bigger).

Can happen in a clinic.

Question 14

Flooding and what it can result in

Answer 14

Exposure to a maximum-intensity anxiety-producing situation or stimulus, without any attempt made to lessen or avoid anxiety or fear during exposure

Can produce sensitization (will have increased stress much earlier), learned helplessness, and increased pessimism (ex. going to a clinic will be bad).

Question 15

Flooding with dog aggressive dog

Answer 15

Put a dog aggressive dogs in a room full of dogs

Dog can be calm in the room. Could be because they just shut down because they cannot escape the room = learned helplessness BUT they will still be stressed and aggressive with dogs outside the room

Question 16

When does anxiety occur?

Answer 16

1. During periods where individual lacks control/ ambiguous stimuli
2. When an individual is unable to predict what is going to happen
3. Hyperviligence- individuals need to be watchful since something might happen
4. Animals will follow energy of human.

Question 17

What is an animals biggest ambiguous stimuli?

Answer 17

Us. An animal has no idea what we are doing

Ex. dog comes to clinic and we give treats. Next time dog given treats and then an injection

Question 18

Outcome of anxiety

Answer 18

Pessimism

Question 19

Meaning behind a dog licking an owners hand during a nail trim

Answer 19

Several Meanings:

• Attention seeking: You taste good
• I’m worried- I need more information
• Conflict- I like you but please stop
• Reconciliation- after biting. Only occurs in situations when animal has relationship with the owner. Dog letting owner know that they care about you but that they did not like what you did.

Question 20

Stress

Answer 20

Physiological response involving an increase in cortisol. Cortisol will increase HR, RR, BP, and glucose.

We can either fail to cope with stress OR we can cope with a stressor and potentially develop resilience so that we so better in the same situation next time.

Question 21

What can time spent in vet clinics result in

Answer 21

1. physiological changes (increased HR, RR, BP, temp., cortisol)
2. inhibit accurate diagnosis by affecting results (ex.bloodwork)
3. Increase anesthetic/sedation risk
4. Decreased eating and drinking resulting in delayed recovery

Question 22

What causes animals to dislike vet clinic?

Answer 22

• Owner behaviour
• New environment (smells, noises)
• Vet staff behaviour
• Animal is already not feeling well
• How we are handling them (linked to pain and Personal space)

Question 23

Puppies and Kittens- Fear, Anxiety, and Stress

Answer 23

Patient anxiety starts with the very first visit between 8-12 weeks old when cortices still developing.

First visit at young age has huge impact on how the young feel about vet visits moving forward. Sensitization often occurs, and fear increases with each visit.

Question 24

One Event learning in vet clinic

Answer 24

A single exposure can be enough to produce future fearful responses.

Question 25

Fear, anxiety, and stress in Senior patients

Answer 25

Increased fear, anxiety, and stress can occur in senior patients due to:

• More physical limitations (muscle mass decrease, arthritis)
• Can be in pain
• Sensory deficits (sight or hearing)
• Impaired immune system
• Previous experiences/learning
• Behavioural issues

-Cognitive decline (eg. dementia)

Question 26

Recommendations to help desensitize puppy to handling at a vet clinic or figure out why puppy is having fear or stress response

Answer 26

1. At home handling- start slow, lift paws, communicate with puppy and reward puppy

2.Practice crate training and travel training- will allow them to practice being in vehicles and being separated from owner

3. Rule out other medical issues
4. Bring puppy in to vet for low stress visits- just to get a treat.
5. Anxiety Medication
6. Socialization classes to get them used to other humans and dogs