TulsaPets Magazine July 2021

Black, yellow, and brown. Large and small. Scruffy, smooth and fluffy. Spotted, brindle, or merle. And everything in between! Pooches is Tulsa’s equal opportunity land of the free-to-play. Let your pooch join the fun! 918-398-6459 • 5331 E. 41st Street • www.poochestulsa.com /poochestulsa Riverbrook Animal Hospital Rachael Baldwin, DVM D r. Rachael Baldwin started working at Riverbrook Animal Hospital in July 2020. Dr. Baldwin is passionate about the human-ani- mal bond, which led her to become a Fear Free and Cat Friendly-certi- fied veterinarian. Fear Free veterinarians work to make the hospital a less scary place for all animals by learning where these fears arise from and how to mitigate those fears in a place busy with unfamiliar people, animals, sounds, sights and smells. One of the many ways we help dogs and cats become comfortable and confident in this environment is by promoting fear free “practice” visits. If your cat or dog experiences anxiety when they are here, it can be helpful to set up some “practice” visits throughout the year to help them become more comfortable with the clinic environment when they are not sick or having any procedures done. The pet owner brings the dog or cat to the clinic, and they go around into different rooms and areas of the hospital where different people come up and say hello and offer treats and attention for about 10 minutes. Then the animal gets to go home without having any- thing done that could be perceived as scary, such as nail trims, vaccines and blood draws. Incorporating Fear Free tech- niques like these into our practice not only helps make our patients more comfortable while they are here but also strengthens the human-animal bond. It makes it easier to bring fearful animals to the clinic, which, in turn, improves their overall health and well-being. TulsaPets Magazine DVM Annual Feature