- Jenneth Zettler
- Apr 18, 2025
- 6 min read
Medical care in an emergency can be scary and unpleasant for pets and their humans. The unfamiliarity with a new place and people adds to the challenge of being injured or feeling sick. Pets might even feel scared because they can sense their owner’s worry.
Fearful or stressed pets can mask signs of illness or pain, making for tricky diagnosis and treatment. They may even panic, causing injury to themselves or others. The good news is that there are many ways to help pets feel more comfortable when receiving medical care. In fact, VEG ER for Pets is leading the way in providing medically excellent vet care with less stress during what can be a very scary situation for pets and their parents.
Signs a pet is experiencing stress
Before learning about ways to reduce stress, it’s important to understand what stress looks like. As your pet’s guardian and best friend, you are the best person to advocate for them when sick, stressed, or in pain.
Responses to fear typically fall into a few different categories:
Flight: hiding, or fleeing a perceived threat
Fight: aggressive behavior like growling, hissing, swatting, snapping, biting, or scratching is a way a pet may try to make the scary thing (or person) move away
Freeze: staying perfectly still in hopes the scary thing will disappear
Fidget: pacing or trembling, unable to cope with the presence of a scary thing
When a pet expresses any of these signs of fear, it’s important to pay attention! These are ways that pets can tell us they’re feeling uncomfortable or frightened.
Understanding your pet's body language
Cat Language and Doggie Language books by Lili Chin are fun ways to learn or teach others about animal body language and help you identify when your pet is stressed or in pain.
There are also hundreds of articles, handouts, and videos for pet owners on Fear Free™ Happy Homes for many different types of pets, covering a wide range of topics from making car rides easier to administering medications.
Ways to reduce your pet's stress
Look into calming pheromone products for pets
One of the most convenient ways to mitigate added stress from the car ride or veterinary hospital is to use a calming pheromone product. Cat- and dog-specific travel spray can be easily purchased from a pet store or online retailer, kept on hand, and used on bedding prior to any travel, whether planned or unplanned. Pheromone products work best before arriving at the vet or immediately upon arrival, before stress has had a chance to escalate.
Training for a vet visit with a pet travel mat
Pets may benefit from having familiar bedding from home or a nonslip travel mat for vet visits. Memory foam bath mats are easy to transport and provide a non-slip surface that can be placed on a weight scale, floor, or exam table. Some dogs benefit from a simple yoga mat, cut to size, or a familiar bed. Create a positive association with a travel mat or carrier at home.
Helpful tips to condition your pet to a travel mat:
Speak to your pet in a friendly, soothing tone
Give your pet a high-value snack (e.g., freeze-dried or soft training treats) or lickmat smeared with natural peanut butter or canned food
Repeat steps one and two every time they are on the mat. If you only do this when it’s time for a vet visit, they’ll catch on. But by forming the habit at home, they’ll have a safe, familiar place on the go
Pet treats can be a true comfort
Distraction with small, high-value food treats may sometimes be used to reduce stress at vet visits, especially for planned care, such as vaccines or ear infections. Food should not be offered to pets that are vomiting, having seizures or altered consciousness, or when sedation or anesthesia is warranted (for instance, if there’s a cut that needs stitches). Highly-palatable lickable paste or pet-safe peanut butter can provide a source of distraction.
In some cases when solid food isn’t recommended, frozen broth (avoid onions!) or meat baby food might be used instead. You can keep a jar or two in your freezer for this purpose. Carefully allow the pet to lick the frozen treat while obtaining a weight or during veterinary handling. If your pet is eager to snatch a baby food jar, using a pet lick mat or smearing canned food or flavored spreadable paste (made for pets) around the inside of a dog food bowl can work as well.
Practice at home to introduce the pet to this technique and to anticipate how long the food treat will last. Unsure if food is okay to bring to an emergency visit? When in doubt, call and speak to our veterinary team!
Sedation medication can benefit pets in pain
It can be helpful to understand when medication can relieve pain, fear, and stress. Many vets will agree that when it comes to unbearable pain, don't hesitate to sedate. Short-acting injectable or oral medications can be used to facilitate emergency veterinary care for anxious or fearful pets. Reducing stress through sedation can improve diagnostic results (labwork, x-rays) and help to keep everyone safe.
The use of excessive restraint or force with any pet, particularly when sick or injured, can exacerbate symptoms, lead to injury of pets and people, and cause long-lasting negative behavioral effects and is therefore never recommended.
There are many medication options that can be tailored to the specific needs of your pet when other methods aren’t enough to make a pet feel safe and relaxed. Each type of medication can have a different duration, effects, and possible side effects. Your vet may prescribe multimodal treatment, combining lower dosages of a few different synergistic medications, rather than a high dose of a single medication. Some medications can relieve both pain and anxiety, or a specific pain medication might be added.
A certified professional can help manage your pet's stress
Finally, you can search for a vet or pet professional who is well-versed in a variety of ways to reduce pet fear, anxiety, and stress, including many of the techniques described above. Fear Free™, Low Stress Handling®, and Cat Friendly® each have searchable online directories. This can be especially helpful for very fearful pets or those needing additional behavioral support (although any pet can benefit!).
What makes VEG different from other vet hospitals?
When pets visit the vet, they are often separated from their family members and taken to a separate treatment area, even for routine care like vaccines and nail trims. At VEG ER for Pets, we've eliminated that fear factor by keeping you and your pet together throughout all phases of treatment.
Compassionate, skilled emergency vet care
VEG vets go through extensive ER training so that they're highly trained and prepared for any emergency that walks through our doors. We treat all pets, including:
See the extensive medical services we provide here.
Stay by your pet's side
Our open-concept veterinary emergency hospital means no walls! This allows you to stay with your pet the entire time—that’s great for both you and your pet, as you can best comfort and advocate for your pet and be involved in the care process.
VEG hospitals are designed around ways to reduce the unnecessary stress of being in an ER. We keep you and your pet together throughout treatment because we’ve found this helps to involve you more in their care and be comforting for everyone. Knowing that you’re by their side is a comfort for your pet through every step of care.
As a pet parent, you play a vital role in reducing your pet's stress during veterinary visits. After all, you know your pet’s behavior best! Utilize calming products and familiar items, and know when to seek help from professionals trained in techniques to reduce fear, anxiety, and stress. By taking these steps, you can make vet visits a more positive experience for your pet and ensure they receive the best possible care.
VEG is open 24/7 for pet emergencies
If your pet is experiencing an emergency and is in need of urgent vet care, VEG vet hospitals are open 24 hours, even on weekends and holidays. You never know when a pet emergency can happen, so appointments needed or taken. VEG is a walk-in emergency vet hospital. Come in to your nearest VEG location to receive immediate vet attention.
*Elite Fear Free Certified Professional (Veterinary)
^Low Stress Handling Certified - Silver
