Fear Free

The future of care

The Fear Free Initiative led by America’s veterinarian, Dr. Marty Becker, simply means we focus on your pet’s physical well-being as well as their emotional well-being. Gilbertsville Veterinary Hospital believes a fear free initiative will allow us to continue to strengthen the human-animal bond.

The North American Veterinary Community and the American Animal Hospital Association have created VetFolio, a joint partnership. The Vetfolio team created an eight module certification program in conjunction with board-certified veterinary behaviorists, practice management experts, and veterinary technicians. The modules teach veterinary professionals how to create a calming fear free environment for patients, and educate clients on how to participate in achieving a fear free visit. Many on our GVH team have completed Fear Free Certification and Elite Certification.

At GVH you may see some of the following changes designed to reduce stressful visits:

A blue towel sprayed with Feliway (a pheromone designed to help felines adjust to difficult situations) may be placed over your cat carrier or on the exam room table to calm our feline friends.
Music in our lobby and recovery areas will be kept below 60 decibels, which research shows is less stressful for patients.
Music selections will change to a more classical theme better suited to your pet’s sense of hearing.
Lower volume on phone ringers will be adopted throughout our office.
Our team may offer you a 5 minute “fun“ visit. To help reinforce that coming to the vet is not always a “bad” thing.
Our team may spoil your pet with treats as a distraction while performing certain procedures.
If your pet does not like to come to see us, they may need pre-visit pharmaceuticals to help them stay calm during their visit. Ask your veterinarian if this is a good option for your pet.

At GVH you may see some of the following changes designed to reduce stressful visits:

A blue towel sprayed with Feliway (a pheromone designed to help felines adjust to difficult situations) may be placed over your cat carrier or on the exam room table to calm our feline friends.
Music in our lobby and recovery areas will be kept below 60 decibels, which research shows is less stressful for patients.
Music selections will change to a more classical theme better suited to your pet’s sense of hearing.
Lower volume on phone ringers will be adopted throughout our office.
Our team may offer you a 5 minute “fun“ visit. To help reinforce that coming to the vet is not always a “bad” thing.
Our team may spoil your pet with treats as a distraction while performing certain procedures.
If your pet does not like to come to see us, they may need pre-visit pharmaceuticals to help them stay calm during their visit. Ask your veterinarian if this is a good option for your pet.