Wise and Wonderful is a Fear Free® Certified Practice
Wise and Wonderful is a Fear Free Certified Practice where the entire team works together to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets and to improve the overall veterinary visit experience.
Genetics, maternal stress, early maternal separation, inadequate socialization, aversive experiences at a young age, medical problems, punishment of fear and anxiety induced behaviors, fear-based training techniques and learned experiences throughout life can all contribute to the development of fear, anxiety, phobic and panic disorders as a consequent coping mechanism. Chronic mental stress affects aging, longevity, cognitive dysfunction, immune health, glycemic control and mental wellbeing.
An important component of treatment is to learn how to identify the body language that shows signs of distress (e.g., vocalization, destructive behavior, salivation, pacing, house‑soiling, escaping, trembling, aggression) so that you can reduce unintentional exposure and prevent escalation of this behavior.
Supplements, Chinese herbs, acupuncture, conventional medications, behavioral modification and environmental enrichment are among the treatments we recommend for anxiety management. Some supplements that can be helpful include Anxitane (L-Theanine, an amino acid from green tea, https://us.virbac.com/anxitane), Solliquin (L-theanine, magnolia, philodendron and whey protein concentrate, https://www.solliquin.com), Melatonin, and Zylkene (bovine-sourced hydrolyzed milk protein, https://www.vetoquinolusa.com/content/zylkene). Dog appeasing pheromone (DAP) diffuser and collars are available for dogs – this is a synthetic congener of a natural pheromone that is secreted from the sebaceous glands between the mammary chains of lactating bitches after parturition (https://www.ceva.us/Compani.../Encouraging-Positive-Behavior). Feliway pheromone diffusers are available for cats – these mimic naturally comforting feline facial pheromones (https://www.ceva.us/Compani.../Encouraging-Positive-Behavior).
In Chinese medicine, acupuncture and herbal products are used to help balance underlying pattens of deficiency or excess that can lead to Shen disturbances. The Shen involves the spirit, mind, sleep, memory and mental activities and is held and housed in the heart by qi. It gives inner peace and is nourished by heart yin and blood.
Conventional medications including Alprazolam, Lorazepam, Gabapentin, Clonidine and Trazodone can be helpful for situational and predictive stressful events. More generalized anxieties will sometimes require a longer treatment plan with drugs including Fluoxetine, or Clomipramine. These medications are much more effective when coupled effectively with training that focuses on positive reinforcement, redirecting or ignoring inappropriate behavior, and pairing rewards with controlled exposure to the triggers to desensitize and counter-condition behavior to all stimuli that evoke the anxious behaviors. There are recordings of storms for pets with noise phobias (https://www.legacycanine.com/copy-of-home, https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/.../sound-therapy-for-pets). The Gentle leader head halter and high reward treats can be useful to maintain control and gradually increase exposure to triggers like other pets and people (https://www.petsafe.net/gentleleader).
Food toys like “Busy Buddy” (https://www.petsafe.net/busybuddy) or frozen Kongs are useful to provide distraction, mental stimulation and physical activity and to decrease stress and anxiety. Daily exercise, interactions and play time are also important to naturally increase the release of endorphins and relieve stress.
Prognosis is based on the response to supplements, medications, acupuncture, behavioral modification, and consistency in training. Patients with excessive fear responses have been shown to have abnormal neurotransmitter levels and psychoactive medications can improve brain function. However, whereas psychoactive medication may treat the patient's anxiety, only behavior therapy and behavior modification techniques can condition a new emotional and behavioral response. Some pets will require life-time management and behavior modification.
Through our “Fear Free” practice wide approach at Wise and Wonderful we use calming pheromones, yoga mats and soft beds to conduct the exams on, soothing color schemes and environmental enrichment to warm the exam rooms, avoidance of chemical odors, minimal patient handling and restraint techniques, victory visits, the liberal usage of treats and sometimes the recommendation of pre-visit pharmaceuticals to consider your pets emotional and physical wellbeing. Our mission is to provide team-based veterinary healthcare incorporating these philosophies and practices to help your pets live healthier, happier, and longer lives.
LOCAL TRAINERS
Camille Lina - Shake It Off Dog Training
www.shakeitoffdogs.com
707-799-6622
Imogen Poropat - Canny Dog - Science Based Training
info@sebastopoldogtraining.com
www.sebastopoldogtraining.com
510-701-4260
Julie Colt - Dog Pro
www.juliecoltdogpro.com
707-338-3563
Mary Stompe - Mary's Angels Dog Training
www.marysangelsdogtraining.com
415-320-4936
Shane Stanis - Mighty Mutts
www.mightymuttsdogtraining.com
510-520-4044
Trish King – Canine Behavior Associates
https://www.canine-behavior-associates.com/private.../
k9consultations@gmail.com
Yona Rappaport- Science at Play
https://www.scienceatplay.net
510-255-1959
VETERINARY BEHAVIORISTS
Jeannine Berger, SF SPCA,
7488 Pleasants Valley Rd, Vacaville, CA 95688
415-554-3030
Leslie Cooper, DVM DACVB. Animal Behavior Counseling and Therapy
1304 Pacific Dr, Davis California 95616
llcooper@dcn.davis.ca.us
530-753-7549
Melissa Bain, Professor of Clinical Animal Behavior,
1 Shields Ave, Dept of Davis Ca 95616
University of California-Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine
Mjbain@ucdavis.edu
530-752-7616
