Veterinary visits are a significant source of fear and stress for many companion animals, with fear-free practice approaches dramatically improving welfare and compliance.
Veterinary fear welfare is both an acute welfare concern during visits and a chronic concern through the avoidance behavior it creates. An animal in a state of acute fear during a veterinary examination is suffering significantly - the physiological stress of acute fear during restraint and examination is real and measurable. Beyond the visit itself, fearful animals are taken to the vet less frequently by stressed owners, receive less complete examinations because they cannot be safely examined, and accumulate health problems that go undetected. The Fear Free movement has demonstrated that veterinary practice modification - pre-visit medication, pheromone use, minimal restraint, and positive association training - substantially reduces veterinary fear and improves animal welfare outcomes.