The staff at CoastView Veterinary Hospital wants to welcome the new year by featuring one of our special pets. Our featured pet is a German Shepherd mix named Bojack. Bojack was adopted from San Diego Rescue The Barking Lot by Ashley and Dwayne.
Ashley and Dwayne recognized how important socialization would be for Bojack’s quality of life and they immediately scheduled Happy Visits at our hospital. A Happy Visit is scheduled right before lunch or at the end of the day when our hospital is quiet and less busy. A technician works with you and your pet to create a positive conditioned emotional response to veterinary visits; in other words going to see the doctor is fun and full of tasty treats! We are careful to work with the pet at a level they are comfortable with. You should expect that we may walk your pet through the treatment room, show them medical instruments, and pet them in an exam room. By pairing these potentially stressful events with high value treats, considerate approach, and gentle handling we can reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in our pets.
Bojack came in every week with his owners. Initially he was hesitant to accept attention from the staff. He would back away when approached and was fearful of veterinary equipment including the otoscope and stethoscope. Each time he came in we showed him these instruments and rewarded him with food when he showed interest in exploring them. If he solicited attention from a staff member he was rewarded with treats. Over the weeks it was obvious that Bojack was learning that CoastView Veterinary Hospital was a wonderful place to go. He would prance into the lobby, tail wagging and sit on the scale for a treat. He would walk through the treatment room greeting the Doctors and Technicians eagerly. Bojack was excited to see us! At this point, Dwayne and Ashley asked that we schedule an appointment to draw a small blood sample from Bojack for his Heartworm test. Our goal was to obtain the blood sample without inducing fear in Bojack.
A technician worked with Bojack to touch him and position for a non-invasive blood draw. With Dwayne in the room offering treats and talking to Bojack he allowed us to perform mock blood draws. He no longer moved away at the site of a needle and syringe and took treats readily throughout the training. When Bojack came in for his blood draw, a small sample was obtained with only 1 technician drawing the blood and the owner feeding him treats. We had established a trust with Bojack, and he allowed us to perform this procedure with minimal handling because of this relationship.
We are so proud of Bojack and his new family. We look forward to future Happy Visits with him. The veterinary hospital does not need to be a frightening place for our pets and our staff are trained to make the process as easy as possible for them. Please schedule your Happy Visit today! Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Thank you to Bojack and his family for allowing us to share your story.
See more Happy Visits at CoastView Veterinary Hospital below!
