Week 6: Rat, Guinea Pig, and Rabbit Handling, Fear Free Certification, and Exam 2!
This week started out with a bang! We had a string of lectures followed by a muscle and blood vessel lab examining the main histological differenced between blood vessels. Tuesday mimicked the same schedule, but our histology lab focused on the immune system. Tuesday afternoon was the first day of the “Advanced Spanish for Veterinarians” class. This is an additional 10-week course offered through the vet school designed to help expand veterinary vocabulary and enhance communication skills. The first class focused on conducting a physical exam and was followed up with some roleplay where we were partnered up and had to take turns being the client and vet. As the client, we had to come up with a disease for our pet and the “vet” had to gather information and guess what the disease was. I hadn’t been in a Spanish class since I finished my minor as a Sophomore in college and had forgotten how fun it was!
Wednesday was another day of lectures and then the rest of the afternoon was blocked as “study time” for the upcoming exam. That afternoon I was able to meet up with my triathlon coach from Cal Poly since he was dropping off his daughter who is now a first-year at UC Davis!
Thursday morning had a discussion and one lecture. The discussion was based on patient oriented medical record keeping and the main takeaways were the importance of client education/communication, and documentation. Ensuring that your clients understand exactly what is going on with their animals and why you would like to do the diagnostics or treatment that they were presented is crucial. If they understand the “why” behind it, and not just the cost, they will be more likely to comply. This discussion also emphasized the importance of documenting everything to the best of your ability. As a veterinarian keeping detailed medical records will be your saving grace in the case of any issues that arise as long as you are thorough and properly doing your job. The following lecture was based on the use of animals in a teaching facility and went over the rules and regulations that are in place so that we can use animals in a teaching manner.
That afternoon we had a small animal handling lab. This lab consisted of learning how to properly handle and restrain rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits. Each of these animals had been sedated so that basic handling skills could be practiced before the physical examination lab. The rats were given acepromazine while the guinea pigs and rabbits were given midazolam. The drug difference was due to the way that these animals metabolized the compounds.
Friday morning was the second exam of this block. It covered an overview of immunology, tissue types, the GI tract, neurology, along with the associated histology. That afternoon we had a problem-based learning session focused on a Singapura cat with gastrointestinal issues. This was the first of three sessions surrounding this case, so we were just presented with initial physical exam findings along with some diagnostic results (ultrasound, radiographs, and lab work). The day finished off with a hot yoga session with some friends to destress.
This weekend I took advantage of not having to study and finished off my Fear Free certification!
In general, I think that taking the time to do the Fear Free certification was worthwhile. It brought up a lot of little things that I hadn’t really thought of regarding patient interactions. Going forward, I might approach certain situations in a different way. There are definitely some circumstances where these techniques will not always work, but overall, I think that it is good to have this knowledge in your back pocket.
Main takeaways
1. Treats are your best friend!
The use of treats can greatly reduce an animal’s FAS (fear, anxiety and stress). Soft treats, canned food, toys with treats in them, and spray can cheese are great options!
*These cannot be used for animals that are undergoing surgery or sedated procedures which is why “Fear Free” tactics are sometimes unattainable. Additionally, some dogs feel calm when they are being brushed so that trick may work if the dog does not want to take food or can’t have food because of a scheduled procedure.
** According to the Fear Free veterinarians, frozen chicken broth can be used as a lick distraction in the perioperative period. This can majorly reduce FAS while placing IVC or performing IM injections for sx patients!! You can easily do this by freezing Dixie cups with a small amount of chicken broth at the bottom and keeping them in the clinic freezer.
2. Make an Emotional Record for each Patient!
Making an emotional record will allow everyone to understand this patient’s natural tendencies in a veterinary setting. It will also include things that worked during past visits (pre visit sedation, specific person, favorite treats etc.) This emotional record will also help make appointments go smoothly because the staff can be prepared for each patient’s unique needs. This will also allow the receptionists to call the owners beforehand and see if there is anything that we can do to limit the animal’s stress. Owners know their pets the best so we can also recommend that they bring their favorite treats/toys to the appointments.
3. Pay attention to the animal’s body language and behavior throughout the whole visit.
It is important to understand the main goals of each appointment and prioritize things and “needs vs wants”. While it is nice to get a temperature on every animal, it might stress them out and use up some of their finite tolerance and later procedures (blood work, radiographs, etc.) may be harder to obtain.
4. Sedation is generally safer than the physiological events that happen to the animal during excessive restraint.
If an animal is too difficult to handle and they are becoming increasingly agitated, chemical restraint may be the best option. These drugs have been researched and proven safe for the majority of healthy patients and are often reversible. Proper owner education and consent is necessary, but they are often willing to proceed after understanding that these drugs will drastically decrease the level of FAS in their animal.
After finishing this course, I now have a better understanding of how to make each appointment more enjoyable for everyone involved. It’s important to note that in order to really implement the Fear Free environment, the whole team needs to be on-board and expectations on handling need to be set. Implementing these practices will be a fun challenge that will have tremendous benefits and increase overall patient and client satisfaction!
The rest of the weekend was spent hanging with my pup and going on a long bike ride!
Quote of the week: “The only way you can be ready for vet school is if you have already gone through it.” -Dr. Woolard
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