{"id":2430,"date":"2017-07-14T18:35:22","date_gmt":"2017-07-14T18:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fearfree.com\/2017\/07\/fear-free-for-birds\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T20:06:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T20:06:20","slug":"fear-free-for-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fearfree.com\/2017\/07\/fear-free-for-birds\/","title":{"rendered":"Fear Free…For Birds?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
In a perfect world, Dr. Alicia McLaughlin would establish relationships with animals who have no experience with veterinary visits and thus no fears regarding them. But at the Center for Bird and Exotic Animal Medicine near Seattle, Washington, she is more likely to encounter animals who have already developed fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) associated with the veterinary environment and physical care. Many of these animals are naturally frightened of new persons, places, and experiences, and limited socialization early in life makes it difficult for them to deal with changes that deviate from the narrow scope of what they\u2019ve learned is normal and safe. Not surprisingly, many of the animals Dr. McLaughlin treats are already on edge before she walks into the exam room.When animals come in with preformed notions and established concerns, the opportunity to start with a clean slate and make the experience positive from the onset has already passed. Instead, with many of these animals McLaughlin is doing damage control, backtracking from previous negative experiences and recovering from a lack of ongoing positive experience and preparation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m often working up from a negative with my patients because they have such bad history,\u201d says Dr. McLaughlin.<\/p>\n

Sadly, common practice for handling birds in many pet care environments is to put the parrot on the ground and throw a towel on him. Such unsettling and scary experiences lead to increased angst for the animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of behavioral flooding happens with birds. It\u2019s the status quo for most places. It\u2019s not just vet hospitals. It happens at many pet stores when the parrot goes in for grooming, too,\u201d says McLaughlin.<\/p>\n

Alleviating and reducing FAS helps to bring the animal into a more neutral emotional state. Then he or she is more receptive to pleasant pairings that accompany the veterinary experience and positively affect the animal\u2019s emotional outlook. This makes the situation less concerning for the animal and improves the ability to handle him and provide care.<\/p>\n

A greater challenge in helping these patients is dealing with people who don\u2019t understand the signs of FAS or the negative outcomes that can happen because of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest part is dealing with someone who has expectations in their head for how care should be or how it has always been. Or dealing with a person that\u2019s driven by strict time constraints,\u201d says Dr. McLaughlin.<\/p>\n

The best approach McLaughlin has found to work gradually with these clients and build a rapport with them. Ultimately, this helps her to reach her goal of improving the lives of animal patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to focus on one, two, or three things max they can do per visit to improve their bird\u2019s quality of life. If I build enough rapport they\u2019ll keep coming back and we can keep building,\u201d says Dr. McLaughlin.<\/p>\n

Putting the treat into treatment isn\u2019t possible for all of McLaughlin\u2019s patients, who sometimes don\u2019t take food when they\u2019re too upset. But just because the animal won\u2019t take food doesn\u2019t mean the visit can\u2019t be Fear Free. There are numerous Fear Free-friendly tools McLaughlin uses to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome animals, like pigs, are easy to work with because they\u2019re so food-motivated. Birds are more challenging because they are often already so far over the threshold it\u2019s hard to reach them. Being sensitive to body language and taking things slow can help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because many birds are already amped up and display signs of escalated FAS by the time they arrive for care, sedation is a tool that\u2019s often utilized to deliver physical care in a manner that\u2019s protective of emotional wellbeing.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing sedation on those birds that are already really stressed on arrival makes a big difference in how the visits go. It\u2019s safer, the bird has a better quality of life, and it reduces negative experiences to help build for the future of that bird\u2019s care going forward,\u201d says Dr. McLaughlin.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmphasizing the need for minimal stress veterinary medicine has changed our approach to patients. Our staff tries to minimize coercion when possible, and sedation is seen as a way to help improve our patient\u2019s veterinary experience when any potentially stressful medical procedures need to happen. There\u2019s an increased urgency to try to quickly bring the stress levels down when they occur, along with more creative problem solving between staff members to either prevent or address stressful situations,\u201d says McLaughlin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a perfect world, Dr. Alicia McLaughlin would establish relationships with animals who have no experience with veterinary visits and thus no fears regarding them. 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