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HAPPY VISITS

Cheshire Crossing Animal Hospital offers friendly visits for dogs and cats that are afraid of the vet in Columbus, Ohio, and the surrounding area. It is not uncommon for pets to dislike visits to the veterinary office and we try to make every visit as low-stress as possible for your pet.

What is a Happy Visit?

Even though we do our best to make your pet feel comfortable when visiting us, some pets still feel like a trip to the vet means the end of the world is coming. Intense fear and anxiety can result in behaviors including but not limited to:

  • Hiding

  • Urination/Defecation

  • Vocalization

  • Growling/Hissing

  • Swatting

  • Biting

To help your pet overcome his or her fear of coming to the vet we offer Happy Visits.

How Does a Happy Visit Work?

A Happy Visit is when you bring your pet into Cheshire Crossing for 5-10 minutes so he or she can hang out, eat treats, play with toys and simply have a good time here at the clinic. Nothing medical-related or unpleasant will occur during these visits and your pet will realize that good things happen at the veterinarian clinic too.

Happy Visits for Pets with Special Needs

Another type of Friendly Visit includes spending one-on-one time working with your pet to desensitize him or her to a particular part of the visit that they struggle with such as being restrained, toe nail trims, vaccines, etc. Desensitization includes breaking down a task into very small increments and slowly introducing your pet to each increment in a way that is not stressful or scary to them.  At the same time, we counter-condition their negative reaction towards the task by feeding them delicious treats or distracting them with their favorite toy. Counterconditioning (CC) allows the pet to associate the task with something positive. Desensitization and CC do not occur over night, but with some time and patience, they can significantly improve future visits.

Call Today to Schedule a Happy Visit

Call to schedule a Friendly Visit in advance so we can be sure a team member is available to spend one-on-one time with you and your pet.
Cheshire Crossing Animal Hospital offers friendly visits for dogs and cats that are afraid of the vet in Columbus, Ohio, and the surrounding area. Contact us today to schedule a visit.
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