Why Fear Free care starts before the exam room

A new VETgirl podcast is putting a familiar Fear Free message back in front of the profession: sedation and pre-visit pharmaceuticals shouldn’t be treated as a last-resort failure, but as part of compassionate, preventive care that starts before a pet enters the clinic. In the episode, Dr. Erica Thiel of IndyVets talks with Dr. Jennifer Merlo, Fear Free’s vice president of veterinary affairs, about reducing fear, anxiety, and stress through pre-visit planning, emotional safety, and appropriate medication use. That framing aligns with broader Fear Free education and with AAHA and feline handling guidance that support pre-visit anxiolytics and sedation when needed to improve welfare and safety. (fearfreepets.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, the message is practical as much as philosophical. Fear Free says its mission is to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress, and AAHA guidance explicitly recommends anxiolytics for fearful patients, while feline guidelines describe pre-visit drugs such as gabapentin as tools to improve compliance and reduce distress. The arrival of FDA-approved Bonqat for acute fear and anxiety associated with transportation and veterinary visits in cats also shows this category is moving further into mainstream clinical use, not just behavior-specialty medicine. (fearfreepets.com)

What to watch: Expect more clinics to formalize pre-visit pharmaceutical protocols, client education, and handling workflows as Fear Free principles, staff safety concerns, and new drug options continue to converge. (fearfreepets.com)