Handling And Restraint Flashcards
Three categories of animal restraint
Manual, mechanical, chemical
Fear-free restraint
Focuses on learning the signs of fear, anxiety, and stress in animals. Uses positive reinforcement to help increase good behavior and better communication.
Anxious behaviors related to restraint and handling in dogs
- increase attention
- tensing of muscles
- increased whining or barking
- pacing
- repetitive behaviors
- panting or trembling that can’t be associated with temp
- anal gland release
- urination or defecation in waiting room or exam room
Martingale collars
Safest, most effective, most humane for all sizes and breeds of dogs. Flat collar with a loop that tightens when pulled.
Training collar
Made of stainless-steel links with a ring at each end. Thicker links used for muscular dogs and thinner links used for smaller breeds. May catch on cage bars and seriously injure or kill a dog.
Nylon collar
Nylon or leather flat collars are appropriate for daily home use but unreliable for restraint. Some have a quick release to avoid chocking the pet when caught.
Promise collar
AKA gentle leader. Nylon head halter that fits around nose and behind ears. Gives control of side of dogs head to turn it when it pulls.
Head snare
Ketch pole, capture pole, restraint pole, rabies pole. Chemical restraint should be used as an alternative if possible.
Lifting a dog with a back injury
- Place muzzle
- Place one arm around head and neck
- Slide other arm between rear legs and under thorax
Signs that a cat feels stressed or threatened
- finds a small dark place to hide
- vocalizes with growls, hisses, and moans
- pulls back its ears against its head
- twitches its tail slowly
Capturing a small bird
- Remove perches and toys from cage
- Grasp by placing palm against its wings and securing its head between the thumb and index finger
- Cradle bird in your palm and place your pointer finger gently across the bird’s legs
CAREFUL not to cover or press down on the bird’s breastbone
NOT TO BE USED ON BIRDS TRAINED TO HOP ON A FINGER
Capturing a large bird
- Remove excess perches and toys
- Place towel lengthwise across the palm of your hand
- Reach into cage and grasp bird from behind the bird’s head. For larger birds the other hand can be placed on it’s feet with a slight stretch
- Drape towel around the bird as you lift it toward the door of the cage. A larger bird’s wings can be folded and pulled close to your body
- After bringing the bird through the cage door, place the other hand on the birds feet and hold firmly in place
CAREFUL not to put pressure on the breastbone
NOT TO BE USED ON BIRDS TRAINED TO HOP ON A FINGER
Restraining birds trained to hop on a finger
- Reach into the cage and allow the bird to hop on your finger
- Place the other hand on the birds feet and hold them firmly in place
- Once the bird is out of the cage gently drape a towel around its back
CAREFUL not to put pressure on the breastbone
Acrylic rodent restrainer
Clear plastic tube with access ports on the sides and a plastic gate that keeps the animal from backing up once it has entered. Typically used for rat and mouse venipuncture
Rubber-tipped forceps
Can be used to transport small rodents from one cage to another by grasping either the base of the animal’s tail or the loose skin on the back of its neck.
CAREFUL, dangling the animal for more than a few seconds can injure its back
Mouse restraint
- Grasp the base of the tail as close to the body as possible
- Lift straight up and place on grid-type surface keeping a hold of the tail
- Gently stretch mouse by pulling back on its tail with one hand while grasping the loose skin on the back of its neck with the other
- Cup in the palm of your hand and loosely drape fingers around the animals body, holding the feet and tail between your last two fingers
Rat capture and restraint
Rats can be removed from cage by grasping the base of the tail for a short period of time. To restrain:
1. Grasp by placing thumb and index finger around its lower jaw
2. With the other hand, support the rat’s hindquarters while holding its feet and tail still
Hamster capture and restraint
- Make sure hamster is awake
- Grasp as much of the loose skin on the back of the neck as possible
- Lift out of cage and cup in your palm, same as a mouse
Guinea pig capture and restraint
- Reach into cage and place hand in front of animal to keep it from running around
- Slide other hand under it’s chest
- Pick up and immediately place other hand under hindquarters
CAREFUL placing hand down on back or shoulders too firmly may injure it’s lungs
Chinchilla capture and restraint
- Reach into cage and place hand under the animal’s chest
- Pick up and immediately place other hand over the animal’s shoulders to prevent it from escaping
CAUTION fur slip may occur if handled too roughly
Fur slip
A chinchilla’s tendency to shed patches of fur if grasped too roughly
Gerbil handling and restraint
Grasp only at base of tail, close to the body
For some technical procedures, simply scoop up and cup in your hand
CAUTION gerbils are good jumpers and may try vigorously to escape
Ferret handling and restraint
- Place one hand under the animal’s chest, behind its forelegs
- Pick up and use other hand to support the hindquarters
Some procedures require scuffing just behind the ears, making sure the ferret’s feet don’t touch the table or it may turn around and bite. Towels may be used
CAUTION a distressed ferret can inflict severe bites and may have to be put under running water to release it’s grip
Particularly aggressive ferrets can be held with its head between the thumb and forefinger
Rabbit handling and restraint
- Reach into cage and grasp small amount of skin behind the ears
- With the animal facing away, slide the other hand under its rear legs
- Lift the animal toward you and press it against your body
For most technical procedures, place the rabbit on the examination table and place your arms or hands on either side of it. They prefer a rough surface such as a towel.
For IM injections press gently against table. Venipuncture may require chemical restraint or acrylic restraining device
Snake manual restraint
Grasp behind the head with one arm and support the body on your arm. Additional restranier needed for every additional 3 ft of snake
Snake mechanical restraint
- a plexiglass tube half the length of the snake that is only open on one side. After the snake enters hold the snake and open end of the tube in place
- snake hooks can be used to hold a snake’s head against a solid surface
- to weigh a snake, place it in a large pillowcase