comprehensive companionship

But seriously, don’t show up to your vet visits without any idea what your pet eats, which meds they take (and the instructions), if they’re on any supplements, if you routinely use any topical products, what parasite prevention they get (and how often), and if they’ve been to any other clinics (like the ER). “The green bag from Target” or “that place in Studio City” makes it harder for us to help you. And yes, we may have some of this info on file, but we want to make sure what we have matches what you’re doing at home. Help us help you! 🙏

My turn! tbh not much has been going on; just vibing with our new little friend and showing him our world, going to weddings together, loving on our older furred friends and dealing with their age related ailments as they come. I started a veterinary behavior residency (long time coming!) based in Ohio with a very wonderful and patient mentor, Dr. Elizabeth Feltes and as a result have had to really perfect the art of travelling without a baby while breastfeeding 🫠 but mostly lately i just beg family and friends to come over and play board games with me, feed me, hug our baby, then snooze through and accidentally take screenshots of my pump alarms :)

Life updates!! I’ll (Lauren) go first: in May, I got married to my stud of a husband @clarkrhee ❤️ We jetted away to a dream honeymoon to Italy, and before we knew it we learned we’ll be a little family of three come February! I couldn’t feel luckier.

Thank you so much to @susanlightla for having me on her podcast to discuss one of my favorite topics: puppy socialization. If you will ever interact with a puppy, this episode is for you…so yes, it’s for everybody! A little sneak peak: “socialization isn’t the same as exposure. Exposing them to new things can teach them any outcome. They could learn from all of those socialization outings that men in hats at Home Depot, other dogs, vacuums, etc. are scary. Everything is scary. If you don’t pay attention to your puppy’s body language, if you’re not pairing [the exposures] with high value food rewards at the right timing.” You can find the episode wherever you listen to podcasts. Link in bio 🔗

We know how to “just get it done” with 💪🏼 heavy restraint. But that pet will be panicking, even if they’ve shut down and given up fighting. They will learn that their clear expression of fear is not respected and next time, they’ll likely escalate to even more aggression in an effort to protect themselves. We have a good chance of getting hurt: smacked in the jaw by their bucking head, scratched, or bitten. And the “physical exam” I’ll get to do? No evaluation of their mouth, belly too tense to feel anything useful, shivering or growling masking the heart sounds. This is just bad medicine. Sedation is more expensive, takes more time and monitoring in the clinic, and there are always potential risks. That being said, the risk of a sedation complication in most pets is infinitely smaller than the risk of missing something important on their awake exam when they’re panicking. If your dog or cat is fear aggressive at the clinic (mine is!) sedating for annual exams lifelong is a reasonable plan. AND there is “homework” that can help them learn to be less fearful of vet clinics so that sedation may not be necessary in the future: DS/CC, cooperative care training, PVP’s. (See link in bio for comprehensivecompanionship.com to learn more). When sedation isn’t an option, we treat those pets to the best of our ability, being as gentle as possible, and educating pet parents about the homework so next year’s experience can hopefully be better. This isn’t black and white. But if pet parents like Elvis’s mom are on board for our force free plan, I’m going to choose that 100% of the time. I hope you do too. #forcefree #vetmed

Happy birthday (and bachelorette weekend 😜) to this perfect auntie! You are an inspiration to us all, to continually be and do better. We love you Lauren

Link in bio 💻 Vets, DM me if you would want a notebook 🙌🏻

Stop adding to your pet’s stress at their visits. Let them explore the room, let them shake it off, let them jump for treats (as long as everybody is safe, of course). If your vet is demanding “good/obedient” behavior from your pets in the clinic, they’re probably not prioritizing your pet’s emotional health. I want pets to feel as comfortable as possible in the clinic, and I don’t expect them to be on their best behavior in a stressful situation. I want my patients to walk around the room and sniff, play “find it” for treats tossed on the ground, tell me where they’re most comfortable for their exam, and tell me when they need breaks. With their body language, of course. Dominating your pet with words or actions to try and get obedient behavior at the vet makes our jobs harder, not easier. They’re only going to be more scared and potentially reactive at that visit, and definitely at subsequent visits. Do you feel like your pets need to “behave” at their vet?

I used to say all puppies squirm and squeal during their oral exams. Not anymore!! I’m loving our expanded “snack bar” for visits that includes pretzel rods, baby food, ezy cheese, and whipped cream to help all of our patients have happier visits 🐶❤️🐱

Just trying to be cool!!! Please don’t hate me but maybe don’t scruff the scared cat just kidding no I’m not! 🫠🥲 anyone else? Just me? #cats #vetmed #forcefree #positivereinforcement #dogs #cooperativecare

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