Fear Free Principles

At NSVH, our veterinarians are officially certified as Elite Fear Free Certified Practitioners, having completed numerous hours of training in fear free handling techniques. All of our support staff have undergone the Fear Free training as well. Many of our patients are stressed and anxious about coming to the veterinarian, and this may lead to pets not receiving the medical care they need in a timely fashion. NSVH has fully embraced the Fear Free movement, and our entire staff is has undergone training in stress-free, gentle handling techniques for our patients. Several of our veterinary technicians are also Fear Free Certified Professionals.

Fear Free certification has provided us with a number of techniques to keep your pet’s visits to NSVH as stress-free as possible. We have a number of highly tasty food treats to keep our patients occupied during examinations, vaccinations and blood draws. Our exam rooms are equipped with species-specific pheromones, scientifically proven to have a calming effect on stressed dogs and cats. Our technicians, customer service representatives and doctors have undergone hours of training in gentle, calm handling techniques that minimize stress.

If these techniques are not enough to reduce your pet’s anxiety about the vet, our veterinarians can recommend natural supplements and/or prescription medications to help! To learn more about pre-visit pharmaceuticals and their intended effects, please click here.

Our Fear Free Practice mission closely aligns with our Cat-Friendly Practice mission. NSVH has separate waiting, hospitalization and exam rooms that are designated solely for our feline friends. This helps keep our kitty patients calm and fear free! For more on what Fear Free means, please visit: www.fearfreepets.com. See the Fear Free dog trainers that NSVH works with.

 

 

Request a Rx Refill
Download the Vitusvet App


Call us: 484-427-7598

8 Saint Albans Avenue
Newtown Square, PA 19073


Tweet Tweet

April 13, 2024

How to Bring Your Cat to the Vet in 3 Easy Steps

In the average week, we see easily three to four times more dogs than cats for appointments, despite the fact that cats outnumber dogs in the United States. Why is this the case? A recent study determined that the number of feline visits to veterinarians decreased 14% from 2001 to 2011 despite an increase in […]

Read Full Post

September 27, 2023

“Vaccine Reaction”? Probably Not.

Vaccinations are a scientific miracle. The number of human (and animal) lives saved by vaccinations cannot be overestimated. Once-common diseases such as canine distemper and feline panleukopenia have been virtually eliminated in vaccinated pets (I’ve only seen a handful of pets with these diseases, as opposed to some of my more seasoned colleagues, who used […]

Read Full Post

September 9, 2016

Happy Cat Month

My friends at the CATalyst Council have designated September as Happy Cat Month, and for good reason. Despite the fact that there are significantly more pet cats than dogs in America (75 million cats vs. 69 million dogs), dogs come to the vet more than twice as often as cats. Many cats go to the vet […]

Read Full Post