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Hey, guys. How are you? Just wanted to talk to you a little bit today about something new that we're offering here at the Drake Center, and it's specifically for dogs that are having some struggles when we're trying to do a procedure. Sometimes we get dogs that come in that don't love their nails trimmed, don't love getting a vaccine or a blood draw, and we really want to try to provide as stress free of an environment as we can for our patients. We don't want them to be scared, we don't want them to be fearful when they come here. We're trying to provide a fear free environment for them, and making their visit here pleasant and not stressful.
There are some patients who do require sedation for different procedures. Usually we will try to do something first without a sedation, but then as the patient tells us, hey, this isn't cool, I don't like this, then we are going to recommend that the patient have some sedation on board. So there's a new protocol we're offering, it's called the chill protocol. It's a variety of different medications that are going to be given at home the night before the visit, and then also the day of the visit, to help provide calm body behaviors, help us to accomplish these tasks and different procedures that we would need to do for the pet in as stress free of a way as possible.
We would go over everything with you, tell you exactly when to give the medications, how they're given, and then what to expect. Our goal for our patients would be they would be able to come into the room, come into the hospital, come into the room, potentially go back to the treatment area, being relaxed, walking on their own. They're not going to be just a pancake on the floor, they're still going to be able to walk in. Sometimes we will still have to place a muzzle, but then they would be relaxed during the procedure, go home, but still be sedated for a few hours at home, and then they're going to recover from that really quickly after that. That's our chill protocol, we may be recommending that for your pet, so just wanted to give you some more information on that. Have a good day.
Here at The Drake Center, we strive to provide fear-free vet visits for all of our dog patients. However, some of our dog patients can suffer from high-stress and this may cause them to act out when presented with a situation of being in an unfamiliar place with people they don't know. This can make it difficult for our staff to perform procedures such as nail trims, blood draws, and other routine procedures that are all a part of checking your pet's health. In addition, this can cause the dog to have a very stressful and even traumatic experience. Studies have shown that severe stress can have lasting effects and can leave a dog tired, reduce their immune function, and make future visits even more difficult.
In cases where our dog patient struggles while we are trying to provide health care, your veterinarian may recommend that your pet receives oral sedation before their next visit. This is known as the Chill Protocol.
The Chill Protocol is a series of medications that are given to your dog the night before and the morning of the vet appointment. These medications are an oral sedation and will help relax your dog before their visit. If a veterinarian has decided that your dog may benefit from oral sedation, she will provide you with all the required medications and detailed instructions on when and how to administer the medication to your pet. She will also explain what to expect in terms of your dog's behavior during oral sedation and answer any questions you may have.
If you have any questions or need to schedule your pet's appointment, please contact us.