PetVet365: Veterinary Care Revamped!
Within the past few years, there has been a shift in veterinary medicine specifically on how decreasing levels of fear, anxiety, and stress can improve the animal and owner’s experience. It used to be acceptable to use the “bruitcaine” method and do whatever had to be done to get the treatment done. Fortunately, as pet ownership and the Human-Animal Bond have evolved, these old techniques based on force and dominance are becoming less applauded. Veterinary staff are trying to figure out ways to create a better experience for all parties involved which has led to initiatives such as Fear Free and low-stress handling. The Fear Free initiative was founded by Dr. Marty Becker and developed by experts in behavior, medicine, and handling. Since its debut in 2016, it has become one of the single most transformative initiatives in the history of companion animal practice2. Veterinary professionals and owners are working together to help their animals have a positive experience at a veterinary clinic and a company that is at the forefront of this shift is PetVet365.
PetVet365 was founded by two veterinarians with a desire to create a better veterinary experience focused on providing individualized care in a stress-free and fear-free environment. They are also the only 100% Fear-Free certified hospital network in the country1! Their hospitals have a welcoming feel that makes you forget that you are even in a clinical setting and it is evident that clients and patients enjoy this framework!
I recently had the privilege of traveling to Denver, CO, to visit three PetVet365 locations! I stumbled upon PetVet365 in Tennessee at the 2024 SAVMA Symposium and after learning about the company I immediately fell in love with their values! They happened to be looking for a student ambassador for UC Davis and I immediately jumped at that opportunity.
After learning more about their hospital model, I was impressed and slightly skeptical at how this all would actually work in a veterinary setting. Luckily, student ambassadors have the opportunity to go visit PetVet365 hospitals so that they can see the framework in action and understand how everything is aligned with Fear Free and low-stress handling.
Here is a recap of the trip and some awesome tips that I look forward to utilizing:
I arrived in Colorado Thursday evening, and on Friday I had the opportunity to spend the day at the Westminster Hospital. This hospital is owned by the wonderful Dr. Sarah Hilliard and her partner Dr. Ashley Tan! After arriving at the clinic, I was immediately greeted by Ophelia, Dr. Hilliard’s sweet golden retriever and Chief Companion Officer. I was then given a hospital tour and let me tell you, this place does not look anything like the classic veterinary clinic that you are picturing in your head. Each room had its own theme, beautiful pictures, couches, rugs, beds, TVs with relaxing background noise, species-specific pheromones and toys! There were no cold exam tables or colorless walls. Cats and dogs have completely different rooms and there is also a cat room with some sweet kitties that are up for adoption. After the tour concluded, I met the rest of the staff and got a peek at what the day’s schedule looked like.
There were two dental procedures scheduled for the morning and then the afternoon had multiple appointments. Their physical exams were done in a way that made the animal feel as though they were getting a nice massage and when it came to taking their temperature, it was done aurally meaning that they did not have to have a cold probe stuck up their rectum. After their exam and pre-anesthetic bloodwork was checked they were sedated. This allowed for a stress-free catheter placement and an easy induction. The patients were resting comfortably in their condos, some even had pieces of their owner’s clothing inside to help them feel more comfortable.
After the dentals concluded and the patients had recovered, it was time to hop into the afternoon appointments. Patients were met with frozen peanut butter Kongs, pup-cups, catnip, and a bunch of other yummy snacks. They willingly hoped on the scale to get weighed and happily followed the technicians into the exam rooms. Once they were in the room they were greeted with more treats, toys, and friendly staff. It was awesome to see just how comfortable these animals were and even if they were nervous and had a higher fear, anxiety, and stress score, by the end of the appointment they had at least enjoyed a yummy snack and realized that the clinic was not such a scary place. One cool thing that I was not expecting was being able to perform a jugular blood draw on a cat with minimal restraint. The little fella was gnashing down on his yummy treat and barely noticed that someone was poking his neck! All patients who needed vaccines rarely realized that they were being poked with a needle and were more focused on the treat or toy that was being used to distract them. It was also awesome to hear that PetVet365 promotes “happy or victory visits”. These visits are free and are a way for owners to bring their pets into the clinic to receive treats and love without any scary things happening. This helps create a positive association with the clinic and lowers the patient’s future fear, anxiety, and stress.
Seeing the beautiful Westminster hospital was awesome, but it was even more awesome to get to know Dr. Hilliard and hear about her story and how she became a part of the PetVet365 family. Dr. Hilliard is a graduate of The Ohio State School of Veterinary Medicine and since graduating, has had her hand in almost every aspect of veterinary medicine. She went through a rigorous academic internship at Colorado State, experienced residency training, and spent some time in general practice. She then worked in the industry side of vet med for nine years before making the decision to hop back into the world of private practice. After valiantly dealing with her own mental health struggles and disappointment with the lack of support from the profession she vowed to help mentor the next generation of veterinary professionals and ensure that they got off to the start that she wished she had. Aside from being a veterinarian, she is an avid mountain biker, runner, tap dancer, piano player, and Swiftie! Within the short amount of time that I spent at her clinic, I can confidently say that those who have the privilege of working and learning under her leadership will receive incredible mentorship and be valued not only as a veterinarian but also a human.
Dr. Hilliard also made sure that I maximized my time in Denver and recommended that I experience a concert in the Red Rocks Amphitheater. I am usually not an impulsive person but after seeing that venue, I immediately bought a ticket and spent my night surrounded by reggae-loving people in a breathtaking location. Damian and Stephen Marley were performing with the accompaniment of the Colorado Symphony. The environment was amazing, and the views were priceless. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Colorado, I highly recommend putting this on your bucket list!
Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to visit the Alpenview location. This location was unique because the building was an acquired vet clinic instead of being built from the ground up. Even though the “bones” of the practice were inherited, the PetVet365 team made the hospital their own and designed their rooms with a similar comfort feel to that of the Westminster practice.
This practice is owned by the incredible Dr. Jeff Lowery. Dr. Lowery is a Kansas State University graduate and has a strong background in leadership, practice ownership, and team management. He has held leadership roles in large corporate practices and has also explored the industry side of veterinary medicine. Walking into his clinic I had no idea that within a short three-hour time span I would walk out with a plethora of knowledge on leadership and practice management skills. In addition to being a genuinely kind person, Dr. Lowery intentionally took the time out of his busy schedule to make me think about certain aspects of veterinary medicine and leadership in a way that I had never contemplated. He made me understand the importance of understanding the WHY behind the things that I do and how that trickles down to how I interact with those around me. It is super easy to get caught up in the day-to-day rush and just do things on autopilot but being intentional and making sure that your WHY is clear and communicated helps create trust and accountability which are all foundational pillars of successful leadership. There are a lot of life, leadership, management, and ownership skills that are only acquired through experience, and it was awesome to be able to pick his brain and talk through different scenarios. Having the time to chat with Dr. Lowery about the tough aspects of being a leader in vet med was priceless and I am grateful for the opportunity to connect and explore this topic on a deeper level.
Saturday afternoon I had the chance to do a quick tour of the Somerset hospital. This hospital had a similar welcoming feel, and it was awesome to watch the clients, patients, and staff all interact comfortably. The clients loved being involved in the care of their animals and the staff made sure to focus on educating them so that they could understand what was going on with their pet.
Visiting three different PetVet365 locations during my visit was an awesome way to understand how the fear-free and low-stress handling philosophy was put into practice. It is apparent that the animals (and their owners) enjoy this concept and it is awesome to see pets comfortable in a setting that is typically stressful. Nervous dogs walk through the door straight to a pup-cup, easily climb onto the scale and then make their way into the “exam rooms” all while thinking that they are just going into another regular bedroom. When they make it into the room, they are greeted by friendly staff sitting on the floor offering them endless snacks, love and toys. The cats have a similar experience. They walk into rooms smelling like catnip and have the ability to climb on shelves, play with toys, and watch the nature scenes on the TV. PetVet365 is truly a new level of general practice and there are things that everyone in the veterinary profession can learn from their company model. Here are some additional takeaways from my visit that can be incorporated into any clinic.
Take a deep breath before you get into the room. The ability to switch yourself into a parasympathetic state will help you and the animal feel calmer and will also allow you to feel more present and be there for your clients.
Go with the flow and go slow. Do not try to push the animal past their limits. When they tell you that they have had enough, it is time to try a different strategy, use sedation or both. Creating a positive experience for the client, patient and staff is crucial for client satisfaction and retention. These techniques may feel like they are taking more time, but they don’t actually take that much more time and create a much better environment which helps make things easier and faster in the future!
Team Huddles! Every morning the PetVet365 teams huddle and check in on each other while also putting together a gameplan for the day. This helps make sure everyone is on the same page and knows where people are at. Even when things are busy and it feels like there is no time to huddle, taking a few seconds to touch base will likely save time in the long run.
Just because it has always been done a certain way does not mean that it always must be that way. We know better now and therefore we should do better! Changing the standard of veterinary medicine and how we treat our patients will create an empowering culture that people are excited to be a part of.
Communicate and write everything down! Paying attention to the patient and their level of fear, anxiety, and stress is crucial. Keeping an emotional medical record will help future appointments run smoothly!
It was an absolute privilege to be able to spend time in each of these clinics, connect with their wonderful doctors and staff, and see their hospital model in action. Fear Free and low-stress handling can have a transformative impact on veterinary medicine and is relatively simple and inexpensive to implement! It is also important to note that ALL VET STUDENTS have access to the Fear Free training for FREE while in school. This is an incredible opportunity and I strongly recommend going through this training. To find out more or start your certification click here. If any of you are interested in learning more about PetVet365 you can click here and if you are a UC Davis student interested in externships you can reach out to me!
Quote of the week: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” – Simon Sinek
References:
“PetVet365.” PetVet365 Pet Hospital, www.petvet365.com/about-us. Accessed 30 June 2024.
“What Is Fear Free?” Fear Free Pets, 16 May 2024, fearfreepets.com/about/what-is-fear-free/.
What a great read! I've got a tear in my eye, too. Thank you!