At Sykesville Veterinary Clinic, our expert veterinarians Dr. Ellen Colwell and Dr. Linda Reinhardt will work closely with both you and your pet and make their health and overall wellness a top priority. We like to check up on them regularly so that in the event a disease or other medical issue arises, we can give them the appropriate and immediate treatment needed. It’s not only important to establish a relationship between us and you, but also between us and your pet. This will make for less stress and anxiety for everyone.
So how do you foster a healthy and friendly relationship between your pet and their vet? Here are some practical techniques.
Give Your Pet Time to Warm Up
Don’t expect that your pet will immediately be warm and friendly right away. An animal’s defensive nature is based on pure instinct, so your pet may be cautious about relating to or trusting people aside from you. Don’t force your pet to be friendly right away; they will do so in time.
Reassure Your Pet
Talk to your pet and tell him or her that our staff are your friends. Although he or she won’t really understand what you’re saying, you can show this to him or her through your actions. Show your pet you’re interacting with our vets in a friendly way (and we’ll do the same for you!) so that they can see for themselves that we too can be their friends.
Make Vet Visits Fun and Comfortable
If your pet hates going to the vet, there’s a good chance they may also hate the people in there. That’s why it’s important to try and make visits fun for him or her. Do an activity they love both before and after you visit so that he or she will associate the experience with something positive. Also, make sure that he or she is comfortable during the visit. Feed and groom them well to try and make them feel better.
Visit Us Frequently!
This will give your pet ample time to adjust to our staff and the surroundings. You don’t only have to come see us during routine checkups – feel free to drop by any time just to visit or give our Sykesville vet staff a quick hello. If we’re not too busy and the offer arises, we would love to play with your pet and help make him or her comfortable around us over time!
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