Veterinary visits cause significant fear and stress in many dogs. Fear-free approaches transform clinical care from a traumatic to a neutral or positive experience.
Veterinary fear has serious welfare consequences beyond the immediate clinic visit. Chronic anxiety about appointments may lead owners to delay or avoid necessary care. Fear-free practices invest in environmental design, staff training and individualised patient protocols to transform the veterinary experience. Pre-visit pharmaceutical anxiety reduction using medications like gabapentin or trazodone is now a mainstream recommendation for highly fearful patients.