Why am I talking about peanut butter in a veterinary blog? As a Fear Free Certified Vet Professional, I use a lot of peanut butter during exams. Happy dogs, nervous dogs, new puppies. (We use other foods for cats).
Dogs love peanut butter. Just like with people, food can elicit an automatic positive response. What we are going for is an association that a vet visit= yummy snack. We want our patients to WANT to come in the building, hop on the scale, go into an exam room, be lifted onto a table, and a strange person (with a mask on these days) give them YUMMY treat like lick-able peanut butter.
When do we use peanut butter? We use it for almost everything, from weight checks, exams, vaccinations, blood draws, nail trims to grooming. We even have sticky mats with little nubs that we can stick to the wall of the bathtub, coat with peanut butter, and it takes a while to lick it clean. I do avoid it if they get car sick, if they are already nauseated, in for anesthesia, or if the owners have a family member with peanut allergy.
Sometimes we go with freeze dried meats, pill pockets, or other small dog treats. But the advantage of peanut butter on a tongue depressor is that is takes a while to lick and swallow it, so they are pleasurably distracted. And we hope they shift from being a little nervous or anxious about all those needles to a memory of “that wasn’t so bad, and I got peanut butter!”
It is not just a reward for good behavior like giving a child a sucker after a pediatrician visit. We use peanut butter before touching them, while touching them, and after. It is part of our whole Fear Free Approach to provide low stress experience for our pets, which also benefits owners and staff.
If your dog is anxious or timid about even getting in the car or approaching the building, we might suggest adding some oral mild anti-anxiety medications. We even schedule “Happy Visits” to some in when we do absolutely nothing except invite them in, offer treats.
Expect more to come about using Fear Free techniques for nail trims, cats exam, and puppy visits.
For more information and videos, Fear Free has a companion website for pet owners that is free and loaded with articles and videos. Check it out! https://fearfreehappyhomes.com/
