A visit to the vet can be emotionally demanding across the board—for the animal who is thrust into an environment full of new sights, sounds, and smells; the pet owner anxious about their beloved pet’s stress and safety during a hospital visit; and the practitioners charged with handling potentially fearful or reactive clients.

In 2021, Thrive Pet Healthcare established a first-of-its-kind partnership with Fear Free, an organization striving to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets by inspiring and educating the people who care for them.

Fear Free tactics include everything from identifying anxious body language and behavior to establishing feline-specific practices to utilizing pheromone spray in order to reduce bites and scratches, minimize stress, and in general make visiting a veterinary hospital a better and more enjoyable experience.

“Knowing how to communicate WHY we recommend strategies to reduce stress and make visits enjoyable for all is essential—not only for making the pet owner feel comfortable, but for setting our patients up for better visits in the future and for keeping our doctors, techs, and assistants safe. By becoming Fear Free Certified, we’re able to reinforce our dedication to our core purpose: To nurture pets and people through meaningful relationships and exceptional pet healthcare.” – Jessica Taylor, Regional Medical Director

In August of 2021, Thrive Pet Healthcare launched its Fear Free initiative for a group of 12 hospitals within our network, including nine general practice locations, two emergency hospitals, and one hybrid GP-ER practice.

Developed as a pilot program with Fear Free, the initiative was structured around a one-year timeline. The curriculum includes an eight-week online course for individual Fear Free Practitioner certification, followed by hospital-level implementation consisting of monthly one-on-one meetings with a Fear Free program advisor, quarterly calls to share best practices and pain points, and additional coursework. To earn hospital-level Fear Free certification, 25% of team members need to be individually certified, including 51% of DVMs.

“This was our first time working with a veterinary hospital network of Thrive Pet Healthcare’s size to get individuals and hospitals Fear Free certified,” shared Stephanie Bachman, Fear Free Customer Experience Manager. “It’s been a great experience so far, and with the success of this pilot program, we’re hoping to expand this opportunity to other pet healthcare organizations interesting in getting their teams Fear Free certified.”

Each of the 12 participating hospitals has a Fear Free champion at the customer service representative, technician, and veterinarian level. Armed with the Fear Free tools and resources gained from their training, these champions are empowered to share knowledge and best practices with team members at their home hospitals as they work toward Fear Free Practice Certification.

Fear Free certification can improve hospital outcomes by driving more recruitment, retention, and revenue while mitigating the risk of injury to staff while they are treating pets in need. It’s a win-win-win scenario for pets, pet owners, and veterinary professionals alike.

"I have always loved studying behavior – my favorite part was seeing my teammates love it, too! Fear Free allows for a common, collective knowledge base – every member of my team is able to work with what each patient needs from us, not just what we need from them. We need blood samples, to be able to give vaccines, do physical exams. They need us to be patient, communicative, attentive, and sensitive to their physical AND emotional needs. With Fear Free, everyone wins."
– Amanda Aseltine, Veterinary Technician, Hudson Animal Hospital

“Fear Free training allows me to make my patients, clients and fellow co-workers more comfortable during a situation that can often times be stressful—and providing this service helps us stand out from other clinics in the area. It’s been so rewarding to apply the techniques we’ve learned during an actual appointment and watching the improvement in patient comfort level from the beginning to the end, as well as the improvement compared to previous appointments.”
– Dr. Sarah Sullivan, Medical Director, Clark Veterinary Hospital

“I have loved being part of a network where I can ask questions about Fear Free handling – that’s been so beneficial to me. In addition to reducing bites and scratches, these techniques helps us understand patients and their thought processes, making appointments smoother and easier overall.”
– Kim Cinquegrana, CVPM, Practice Manager, Hudson Animal Hospital & Clark Veterinary Hospital

Hospitals within the pilot program are estimated to obtain their Fear Free Practice Certification by summer 2022, and we look forward to growing the number of participating hospitals as the program develops.

Thrive Pet Healthcare’s Fear Free initiative is just one of the leading programs offered through our Medical Excellence and Education Platform, which focuses on providing tools and training opportunities that enable our team members to provide best-in-class care for pets while empowering their professional growth.

For more information on how you can join our team and Thrive with us, visit our Careers page.