What is Fear Free and How Can it Improve My Trip to the Veterinarian?

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Thanks for following our Pet Care Tips Series where each week we talk to an animal expert in our community to get you one tip that every pet lover should know.

Guest of the Week: Dr Julie Gamble with Gamble Pet Care

This week we met with Dr Julie Gamble from Gamble Pet Clinic in Fort Collins, Colorado. She discussed with us how Fear Free practices work and how to make your dog or cat more comfortable when going to see the veterinarian. Unfortunately a lot of pets do not visit the veterinarian as often as they should due to the level of stress and anxiety involved. In addition, once you arrive at the veterinarian your exam and care may not be as thorough as it could be if your pet is not willing to be handled easily. Fear Free is a new movement that you may not have heard of yet but is taking the animal community by storm! The general idea is to make visits to places like the veterinarian as stress free as possible for your cat or dog. This may mean taking steps in advance to coordinate with your veterinarian, breaking vet visits up into multiple trips, getting your pets used to the car and more. Dr Gamble talks about a lot of these ideas that you can use at home, or even better, discuss with your veterinarian and see if you can apply them to your visits.

*** Special note: Gamble Pet Clinic just received practice certification for Fear Free, making them the first Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice in Larimer County, Colorado! Congrats!

Gamble Pet Clinic

Gamble Pet Clinic is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, and specializes in preventative veterinary care for dogs and cats. As a disclaimer, Dr Gamble has been my veterinarian (this is Liana writing) for my entire adult life and watching her clinic develop and grow over the years has been an amazing privilege. Not to mention that my pets have also all loved her and her staff!

If you want to learn more about Gamble Pet Clinic, visit them online or contact them to learn more:

Fear Free Happy Homes

Fear Free Happy Homes is the program developed by the Fear Free organization for pet owners. They have both a complimentary membership and a paid membership, but the free side is a great place to start to learn more. They provide tips and resources to enrich your pet’s life, as well as information specifically on improving visits to the veterinarian. To learn about about them and join their program, visit their website Fear Free Happy Homes.

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Thanks for reading this blog as part of our Pet care Tips Series! Every week we interview an animal expert in our community to ask them one question:

What is the one thing you believe all pet lovers should know?

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