staging.vettimes.com

Category: Opinion

Paying it forward

Towards the end of what has been, regrettably for me, a distinctly non-“vetty” summer period, I was delighted to receive an email from the headmistress of my old secondary school, asking if some of her students who were applying to vet school in the near future could get in touch.

Coming to sudden terms with the fact that I was now considered someone “in the know” rather than someone on the outside looking in made me feel grateful, nostalgic… and just a little bit ancient all in one go.

As my school has a custom of bringing in old students to speak to sixth formers aspiring to the same fields of interest, I had always thought that I may some day be called in to bring my experience full circle.

Share and share alike

Until now I think I subconsciously assumed my old stomping grounds had simply yielded no aspiring vets in the past few years, but it seems that I was mistaken – and happily so.

I enthusiastically agreed to share details with the wannabe vets in question.

As I prepared to answer any queries they might have about the application process, interview preparation or what the pearly gates of veterinary medicine at university were actually like, it got me thinking about how the veterinary community seems to stand out from the crowd in terms of rallying around each other – no matter their level of study – and holding the idiom “pay it forward” very close to heart.

From the ground up

The truth is, even the most experienced, knowledgeable and Yoda-like veterinary surgeon that ever walked this earth started off a lowly Padawan just like the rest of us – probably cleaning kennels, hoovering after hours and just trying his or her very best not to get in peoples’ way.

I think it’s this that unites us all; no matter our age, gender, race or background, we’ve all been stood on by cows, moaned at by sleep-deprived farmers and pooed or peed on more times than we can count – often both at the same time in a terrifying feat of Mother Nature’s ingenuity.

Climb every mountain

Every veterinary student works incredibly hard to even gain a foothold on one of the UK’s coveted university places, and he or she works even harder still to graduate five to six years later.

I’ve been assured the journey that awaits me on the other side of my cap and gown is no easier. The veterinary career can sometimes seem comparable to mountains piled on top of each other – each one larger than the last, with less footholds, and more treacherous and difficult terrain to navigate.

Is it any wonder those at the top want to throw down the ropes to those standing in their footwells, or climb back down and take the time to show them how they scaled the mountain in the first place, right by their side?

So grateful

I digress, but – mushy and, perhaps, overly elaborate metaphors aside – I am so deeply grateful for all the help I have been given on my journey so far – from the vets in my lecture halls to the vet nurse who first taught me how to hold a scalpel – and for all that I am still yet to receive.

I also feel so privileged to be in the position to help people myself in any way I can, and hope I never forget the value of paying it forward and how far it brought me.

September 29, 2020
Connection: step seven
Before discussing the final element of building connections with clients, let’s recap what this series has explained so far:

Our clients need to feel four things if we want complaint-free consults with optimum buy-in and compliance: Connection, Trust, Reassurance and Clarity (CTR-C).

And our mnemonic for connection is: IS IT CHE(esy?) – Set your Intention, Smile, Introduce yourself, Touch, Common ground, Humour and Empathy.

Now, lets take a deeper dive into what I consider one of the most important ingredients for working with people…

Empathy

The ability to be sensitive to your client’s feelings and experiences, and then being able to show them that you “get them” is not only essential for fostering connection – it will also give you the best shot at a long and fulfilled career as a vet.

Most of us understand this, but how easy is it to maintain an empathetic approach on those long days when it feels like the entire world is trying to tap into your empathy reserves? And how do you fill up your empathy tank?

For me, it starts with a conscious decision. Before every interaction – before I open that door to the consult room or pick up the telephone – I take a moment to take stock of how I’m feeling: am I frustrated, tired, hungry? Then I ask myself whether this is how I want to feel and if not, how I would prefer to be. And the number one thing I need to be at any one moment is empathetic.

So, I reset my intentions by saying to myself “think empathy” and asking myself: “How are these people likely feeling right now?”

That single step is probably one of the most important things I’ve learned in my years as a vet. It’s good for my clients and improves my relationship with them, but it also shields me against compassion fatigue and burnout.

It is for me as much as it is for them.

Empathy statements

Once you’re in the right headspace, you can use empathy statements to show clients you are sensitive to their experiences.

Here a few examples of phrases that are super-simple and not too soppy that, in my experience, will instantly change the tone of client interactions from cold or even confrontational to collaborative:
- “I’m sorry you had to wait so long.”
- “I’m sure this is not how you a planned to spend your Friday night.”
- “I can see you are very worried about…”
- “How terrible. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
- “I realise it’s way past bedtime for your children (if there are young children present), so let’s see if we can find some answers so you can get them home.”
- “You look all dressed up. Did you have big plans? I’m sure your plans didn’t include hanging out with me!”
If we start our interactions like that, we immediately signal to our clients that we see them and respect their experience. We show them we are on their side, which puts them on our side.

Instead of potential adversaries we become a team – and once we’re on the same team every other interaction becomes smoother.

Conversely, if you omit these kind of statements it could be perceived that you judge your time to be more valuable than that of your client and that he or she should “just be grateful for the privilege of your time”.

I’ll be the first to confess that this is sometimes exactly how I feel. This is why it’s so important to remain aware of your thoughts, because if your client senses even a sniff of superiority you’re setting yourself up for a rough ride.

Subconsciously, they’ll be looking for opportunities to bring you back down to earth.

Quick aside

I mention the word team, which is exactly what we should aim for with our clients.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “there is no ‘I’ in team”, but did you know there actually is an “i” in team:

See, it’s right there in the A-hole.

Yes, you will meet A-holes – probably on a daily basis. People who are going to try to find fault with what you do regardless of how perfectly you consult and how much you try to connect with them. People who have no intention of paying, people who think they know better than you because they’ve googled or spoken to their breeder.

This is not written for them. These are not the people you will connect with. They are a challenge you need to face and a cross you’ll have to bear, but if you use these techniques for fostering connection you will reduce the effect these people have on your work life, because:

A – they will have nothing to complain about
B – you will find so much more joy in your other clients that the negative effects the A-holes have on your day will be massively reduced in comparison, and the effect they have on your psyche will become a lot less significant
C – sometimes the interaction is ruined by an A-hole, but it’s not the client… this approach will ensure you are not inadvertently being the A-hole in the story.
- When this series resumes, it will look at the next step in the CTR-C approach: Trust.
September 23, 2020
Connection: steps five and six
The right intentions, a friendly smile, a warm introduction and appropriate touch – four easy ways to help you foster connection with your clients, as described in the previous post.

This part will look at two more common-sense strategies to help you forge fast bonds with your clients and ensure problem-free consults: finding common ground with your client, and using humour to expedite connection.

Common ground

Like it or not, us humans like to belong to a “tribe”. We’re very quick to judge a stranger as “one of us”, or “one of them”.

Hopefully we’re all fighting against our biases, but it’s very likely parts of your subconscious mind is still making snap judgements about those around you, including your clients – and that your clients are making similar judgements about you.

It’s in everyone’s best interest if you’re able to find common ground with your clients, to put you on the same “team”. When a client can relate to you around one or two shared interests, your level of connectedness will instantly jump up a few notches.

Sometimes you’ll get lucky with an obvious commonality – like a shared background, an accent, or a T-shirt from a favourite sports team. Case in point: whenever I hear a Welsh accent in a consult room I point out the fact I lived in Wales for three years earlier in my career and tell them how much I loved it there. This ridiculously small incidental bit of shared history almost always assures that the client in question will insist on only seeing me in future.

Other times you have to dig a little bit by asking a few questions about their work, their children, their hobbies, their holiday… anything you can bond around. And if all else fails, you can be certain you have at least one thing in common – animals, and in particular their animal.

A sincere comment about their pet, or even just the breed of pet, shows you are paying attention and suggests you care. You don’t even have to lie – no need to go on about how lovely little Lucifer is after he’s tried to slash your eyes out; instead, an anecdote about your angry cat, or another patient, or why Lucifer is so angry, or about how hard it must be to get him in his cage at home…

Any shared experience will lubricate the path to connection almost as much as a glass of wine lubricates a social event.

Humour

Here’s another hack straight into the workings of the limbic system of those around you: humour makes people feel good. It buffers stress and increases intimacy by reducing cortisone and adrenaline levels, and increasing the activation of the dopaminergic reward system.

People who are seen as humorous are perceived as more intelligent and trustworthy. Research shows it even makes you appear more attractive.

You may think a visit to an emergency vet clinic is no laughing matter, but even in the midst of a crisis very few situations exist where it’s not possible to find a little bit of humour, even if it is bittersweet.

Besides the obvious comedic gold that surrounds rectal thermometers and the shamelessness of most animals (okay, maybe not cats), humour can be found in just about every situation. Yes, even euthanasias can offer opportunities for an appropriate remark or anecdote – perhaps about the animal when it was younger or a shared memory with enough nostalgic humour to increase the warmth in the situation without detracting from the gravity of the situation.

Added benefit

The jokes will not be lost on your own brain. The same feel-good chemicals that you’re inducing in your clients will be hitting your neurones and improving your own sense of well-being.

Most vets who still love being vets after a decade or more in practice will cite “having fun” at work as one of the most important safeguards against burnout.
- The next post will take a deeper dive into what I think is the most important tool for good client relationships and a happy career in veterinary science: Empathy.
September 15, 2020
Advice for first year vets beginning university in a pandemic

With first year on the horizon in the midst of a world that is far from the normal we knew, some newbie vets are bound to be feeling nervous at the prospect of a fresher’s year like no other.

Having spoken to a number of students due to begin their vet journeys later this month, I thought I would address some of their specific concerns, and offer advice and comfort to anyone out there who might need it.

Fear #1: loneliness

I think every first year is worried about making friends and fitting in, so, when socialising is legally restricted, it’s only natural for those worries to intensify.

For any students who had their heart set on midnight raves seven days a week, I’m not sure I can offer much in the way of a solution. However, I would like to say that I managed to make several good friends before even moving into halls.

Social media made it possible to connect with people from my course and accommodation far in advance of the start of term – and some of those early connections went on to form long-lasting friendships after meeting in person.

Social media allowed Eleanor to connect with people from her course before it began. Photo by bongkarn thanyakij from Pexels

Get connected

If you’ve yet to find an online group like that at your university then I encourage you to have another look. Whether you want to connect with course mates, room-mates or people who enjoy the same activities as you, I promise, your people are out there waiting for you to find them.

If you’re not the most socially inclined person, it can be easy to feel isolated at the best of times, so I implore you to take advantage of every online resource your university has to offer.

Community

First years I’ve spoken to have worried about the lack of group learning and practicals because they already know the value of teamwork in the veterinary industry. Studying with friends is an incredible tool, and a strong sense of community is one of the defining features of every vet school.

Although your social bubble will of course be no substitute for a lecture hall of 150 people, it is no lie that most students make their best friends on the first day with the person sitting next to them.

Fear #2: mental health

The veterinary course can be intense and highly demanding – both mentally and emotionally. It’s why this course and profession have higher incidences of depression, anxiety and suicide than almost any others.

The general uncertainty surrounding local lockdowns can make visits home to family and friends to recuperate and unwind challenging or impossible – especially to foreign students who may already feel isolated.

It has never been more important for the veterinary community to rally around and support one another. We are all in the same boat – from first years, to lecturers, to vets out in the field. All of us are a little uncertain, but we are strongest when we work together.

Fear #3: access to learning resources

I’ve spent many an hour studying cadavers of all sizes at length in the lead-up to an exam, or simply when I just couldn’t wrap my head around something. I know from first-hand experience that sometimes looking at something on a computer screen just isn’t the same, and when it comes to the vet course, there’s no better way to learn than hands-on, up close and personal.

I must have had tens of hours’ worth of lectures about the bovine reproductive tract and how to perform a rectal exam, but I think I learned more in 15 minutes with my hand inside a rectum than I did in all of those lectures combined.

Eleanor claims she learned more in 15 minutes with her hand inside a rectum than she did in all her bovine reproductive tract lectures combined… Image © A / Adobe Stock

No substitute

There truly is no substitute for live instruction, so it is incredibly important for all vet students to make the most of all the face-to-face content their university can provide.

Taking the time to study the content beforehand can be extremely helpful for this. Not only do you (hopefully) know enough to understand what you are looking at (a leg versus an arm, for example), but you’re also more aware of what you really don’t understand and can perhaps prepare some questions in advance.

Just ask

Take advantage of any personnel on hand when you have them – don’t be too anxious to ask questions or raise your hand because you’ll be kicking yourself when you’re trying to discover those answers on Google and it tries giving you recipe ideas when you look up the parts of a chicken wing.

Of course, I don’t have all the answers. If you are worried, unsure or have any questions about how the vet course is evolving then, regardless of the year you are in, email or call into your vet school to help put your mind at rest.

September 8, 2020
Connection: steps one to four
Offering a handshake may be off the menu for now, but introducing yourself and smiling help create a connection with clients. Image © glisic_albina / Adobe Stock

In the previous post I told you about my mnemonic to help me remember the seven tools we can use to help us connect with our clients: IS IT CHE(esy).

Intention, Smile, Introduction, Touch, Common ground, Humour and Empathy.

Let’s look at the first four.

Setting your Intentions

Is it easy to always be the kind of person who people instantly warm to and trust? Especially by the end of a long day when you’re doing your 27th consult? But does that 27th client deserve the best of you as much as everyone who came before?

Sometimes this is hard work – and, like all work, you have to decide to commit to it. This will come easily at times, but other times you will constantly need to reset your intentions to remind yourself of how you want to be before you start each new interaction.

This decision will show in your demeanour and shine through in your voice, and register loud and clear in the subconscious of the client within seconds.

Smile

This may sound trite, but a lot of science exists behind smiling. The contraction of your facial muscles into a smile is an involuntary reaction stimulated by the release of endorphins in your brain when it receives a pleasurable impulse. But this is where it gets interesting – this process also works in reverse.

The contraction of the facial muscles involved in smiling feeds back into the brain and causes the release of more endorphins. In other words, while feelings of pleasure will cause a smile, a smile also causes feelings of pleasure.

Chicken and egg, right?

The second important thing to know about smiles is that they are contagious. When we see a smile, our brains want to mirror what we see – so we smile. And what happens when we smile?

Introduce yourself

If our goal is to connect, then starting your interactions by at least telling your clients who you are sounds too simple to even have to say. Yet many of the client complaints I’ve dealt with include comments about clients not knowing who they saw – or even worse, about them not knowing they ever saw a vet.

How are people going to connect with you if they don’t even know your name?

Also, remember to be clear to the client about your role in the care of his or her animal. For example: “Hi, I’m Dr Hubert. I’m the senior vet on shift, and I’ll be taking care of Fluffy tonight.”

Touch

At the time of writing this, in 2020, shaking hands is officially off the menu. Which is a shame, because appropriate touch is a very easy hack to increasing feelings of connectedness.

Physical touch has been shown to reduce stress hormones and cause a release of oxytocin, which directly increases feelings of connectedness – you’re drugging the person into liking you.

Touch, as a tool, can go beyond the handshake. Of course there is a fine line between “warm” and “creepy”, but appropriate touch at appropriate moments can mean a lot to your clients.

A quick squeeze of the forearm or a momentary hand on the shoulder can reassure and foster connection faster than anything you can say. It’s a simple reminder to both you and the client that we’re human.
- The next post will continue the connection hacks with the next two tools: Common ground and Humour.
September 2, 2020
Connection: is it cheesy?
In my previous post, I listed four key feelings that clients need to experience in their dealings with us if we want to achieve great client relationships.

In this part, we’ll start by looking more closely at the first of these four feelings – connection.

Foundations

Connection serves as the foundation the entire relationship will be built on. When a strong sense of connection is established early on in our dealings with clients, everything else becomes almost frictionless.

Have you ever experienced the situation where you hit it off with a client, and when the discussion turns to a possible surgical procedure they insist you be the one to do the surgery, even though they don’t know anything about your surgical skills?

For all the client knows, you’re a complete butcher – but because they like you, they trust you will have their best interests at heart.

When someone feels a connection with you, they want to trust you. Hence, the client will be more open to what you have to say to overlook problems.

It’s not logical, but then nothing about emotions is.

Creating environment

So, how do we create the right environment for connection?

What follows are some very practical tips to make it happen. Some of these may seem very obvious – if someone tells you the first step to running a marathon is to remember to tie your shoelaces, you may think it’s too basic to even mention; however, I’ve seen many vets stumble (indeed, I’ve often stumbled) at the starting line amid the chaos of a busy practice because they forget those very basics.

Which is why I’ve created a structured format to help me remember the steps.

Part one introduced you to the CTR-C acronym to help memorise the broad outline. Now, I’ll present you with my silly mnemonic to help me memorise the ingredients that will help you foster connection.

IS IT CHE(ESY)?
- Intentions
- Smile
- Introduction
- Touch
- Common ground
- Humour
- Empathy
-ESY is just to finish the sentence. Maybe you can come up with three more?
- The next post will dig deeper into how to use each of the connection tools.
August 26, 2020
The person behind the grades

This year has thrown a lot of annual landmarks into disarray, and A-levels were no exception; my heart went out to all the students this month whose results days did not go entirely to planned.

It has been three years since I went, heart in mouth, to receive my own dreaded envelope.

Even when I’d already learned that I’d been accepted by Bristol vet school just an hour before, it didn’t feel real until I saw those grades for myself on a physical piece of paper, so I can only imagine the anguish of children all over the country who did not get the same experience.

All the difference

The Government’s decision to roll back the downgrading of thousands of A-level results has left me grateful and relieved, because the fact of the matter is, if I had been sitting in the class of 2020 rather than that of 2017, I don’t think I would have made it to where I am now.

Back in 2017, I received D grades in both my mock exams for chemistry. It was a jarring experience and pushed me to dedicate all my efforts into getting the A grades I needed for when it really counted.

Without the patient, supportive and hands-on help I received from my teachers in the months between my mocks and the real exams, I would never have gotten that A. If you asked me to get the same results without that support, and through the stress and uncertainty of a global pandemic, I think I may have burst out crying.

Meaningless mocks

The thing to keep in mind is, I don’t think that second scenario would have made me any less capable of being a veterinary professional, yet I would have been denied that future.

This article is not meant to be political because, of course, no perfect solution exists; for a time as unprecedented as this, there could never possibly be one. I can, however, tell you that, using my own past as evidence, mocks no more define a student’s ability or aptitude than GCSE or A-level grades define that student.

The difference between a B and an A can be as simple as a good or bad night’s sleep before an exam, the ability to afford a tutor or the home life a student returns to even after the best day’s schooling in the world.

Diversification

Another reason I’m so glad for the Government’s change of heart is because I wholeheartedly believe that every course and profession – especially professional ones like veterinary medicine – is bettered and made stronger by having a diverse body of people from a variety of backgrounds.

The veterinary course is sometimes accused of being “elitist” – I think because of the work it takes to even gain an interview. When you factor in travel costs, work experience opportunities and academic support, the door becomes closed to more and more people.

With veterinary courses sometimes accused of being “elitist”, Eleanor is pleased by the Government’s change of heart because she believes every course and profession is bettered and made stronger by having a diverse body of people. Image © fizkes / Adobe Stock

What makes a vet?

I have also spoken before about how I don’t believe academic ability is all that it takes to make a good vet.

People skills, compassion, determination, resilience and a level head are all things that individuals need to take with them into any professional vocation. An understanding of science and maths is undeniably important, as is the ability to retain large quantities of information, problem solve and reason.

But if you focus on the grades alone, you only see half the person – in the case of this year, maybe even less.

Recognising value

I hope the changing grades for those with their hearts set on a place on a veterinary or human medicine course this year did not come too late. As some of the most over-subscribed courses, places are filled almost instantly.

I also hope every university recognises both the uniqueness of the times and the value of the person behind each results sheet.

August 26, 2020
Chasing waterfalls
Sticking to what you’re used to is both safe and comfortable; getting to where I am now was neither of those things. All through secondary school, people told me trying to become a vet was too much effort – that if I was having to try as hard as I was, then maybe it wasn’t worth it.

Now, as I prepare to intercalate between the third and fourth years of my vet course, I have people balking at the idea of taking on an additional hurdle.

The truth is I’ve been hurtling along these tracks I’ve laid for myself for an awfully long time – back before I knew superhero wasn’t a viable backup career or that, sadly, you have to be born a princess.

A different path

It’s a scary concept to hop on to a new path for a while – one that isn’t so black and white – and steer in the direction of what I think is north. But it’s also very exciting.

From September, I’ll be undertaking an MSc Global Wildlife Health and Conservation course – and recently receiving an update email on what my intercalation course will look like post-outbreak made me almost giddy with anticipation.

Government guidelines and international pandemics permitting, I’m looking forward to a lot of hands-on, skill-based learning, working on interpreting data and building my own research project (more on that to come).

Less of the same

All vet courses taught up and down the country are very similar (because they have to be) and, therefore, reward you with a certain skill set and career outlook. By intercalating I am hoping to expand each of these to narrow in my sights on the areas of animal-centred fields that strike the strongest chords within me.

From the first day of vet school my eyes began opening to the impacts of our lives on the populations of the species with whom we share this planet; issues I wasn’t happy to tolerate and didn’t even know I had been.

Big, jaw-dropping horrors like dolphin hunting, stereotypes of captive animals and chicks on conveyor belts hurtling towards a meat grinder, down to the more subtle disasters such as quickly evaporating insect populations, awoke in me the drive I’d had as an infant to do this job in the first place.

Making animals better

As a six-year-old girl, my idea of what it meant to be a vet was simply “a person who made animals feel better”. At that age, I don’t think the concept was any more nuanced than that. But looking back, 15 years on, I don’t think it has to be.

I know I’m not alone in wanting to leave this world a little better than I found it, and if this next year I’m embarking on brings me a little closer to my goal then I wouldn’t want to lose a single second.

Complicated

The big problems the veterinary community faces – along with the world as a whole – aren’t going to be changed overnight. My own lifestyle is an embodiment of just how complicated they are:
- I agree all animals are entitled to freedom from pain and suffering, and although I try to reduce my consumption of meat, I am not vegetarian or vegan.
- I do not believe in the captivity of large aquatic mammals, but as a child I enjoyed my visits to SeaWorld and wildlife parks to watch the dolphin shows.
I don’t expect to solve the big issues or answer the big questions, but I want to contribute in any way I can.

Unfortunately, conservation and exotics are not currently primary areas of study on the veterinary course, and yet I cannot help but pursue them. I hope to bring the worlds together in the coming years, and fight for change with a double-edged sword.
August 12, 2020
Grieving as a professional

The pet of a close friend of mine has just passed away. Zilla the black Lab was the most beloved dog, who had a fondness both for rummaging through the bins and belly scratches.

She’d had progressive problems with her health and, earlier this month, it became clear that, sadly, the time had come for her to leave.

I’m sure that, just as parent’s try not to prioritise one child over the other, vets do their best not to pick their favourites, but in my mind it’s an inevitable outcome of having a human inside the white coat; some little lives are bound to touch us more than others, sometimes without us even knowing or in ways we didn’t realise until we properly reflect.

Early consults

Without me realising it, Zilla wove herself into my early veterinary evolution. When we were younger, my friend and I would often joke that I would be Zilla’s vet in the future.

Eleanor Goad‘s first “patient”.

Even in the era of early GCSEs, friends would consult me on topics ranging from “that strange rash came back” to “she’s eaten half the box of Celebrations – wrappers and all!”

Young, utterly underqualified and fully aware of the fact, I would always advise the friend to consult a real professional – but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t take a little pride each time in being asked, or that I didn’t take a deep interest in the outcome or feel the emotional impacts of that outcome.

Grief counsellor

I’ve been a shoulder to cry on during the bereavement of several small furry friends, and so, without ever seeing a euthanasia in person, I am not naïve to the aftermath.

Grief is an unavoidable part of the veterinary field, as it is a part of human medicine, and even as professionals on the other side of the examination table, it is bound to rock us from time to time.

I worry that a part of the mental health decline in the veterinary population is a lack of addressing the small chinks in the armour that are bound to build up over the years.

Toughen up

Zilla’s passing hit me harder than I’d expected; she was the most beautiful dog and lit up every room she entered – and yet a part of me was telling myself I couldn’t be upset because I was going into a profession where death was part of the nine-to-five and I had to “toughen myself up” to it.

I think it’s important for both vets and owners alike to acknowledge that they are allowed to grieve, and that the loss of an animal can hit just as hard as the loss of a person.

Find a balance

As a vet I am undoubtedly going to bond with many of my patients as I follow them through their lives, and their ups and downs, while striving to right all their wrongs.

We are entitled to our emotions. It’s just about finding a balance between our responsibility as professionals to support our clients when things go downhill and the responsibility to ourselves when our mental health takes a downward spin – and to allow ourselves to grieve if we need to.

July 29, 2020
A nervous generation

I read somewhere in the early days of lockdown that several rescue shelters have been experiencing 100% empty kennels for the first time since opening.

This was truly heart-warming to hear, and seemed at first as a small silver lining around the dark clouds of the pandemic. However, it shortly came to light that demand for new pets, both young and old, was sky-rocketing.

More households were finding they had more time on their hands. People were lonely and in need of company, or learning to better appreciate the outdoors during the unprecedented good weather and fancied a four-legged companion by their side.

Think before you buy

I’ve spoken before about the dangers of buying a pet during the passion of the moment, without proper consideration or planning, but as long as both are present I’m wholeheartedly for the mutual companionship that both dogs and cats can bring, especially in the current climate.

It was only after a conversation concerning a friend’s adorable young dog – who is both the most friendly and energetic creature in the world and a little bashful when it comes to running into other dogs on her walks – that I began to think of the future and the ways in which lockdown might have inadvertently shaped the next generation of pets.

Phoebe – pre-lockdown puppy of Eleanor’s friend Felix.

Opening the social window

A social window is a short period of time when dogs and cats are growing up, in which they are the most open and absorbent to new experiences.

After this window has closed, these animals can become suspicious or downright terrified of anything they didn’t come across during their early days – sort of like the grandparents who are a little wary of the iPad, saying: “We never had that in my day.”

This window has always posed a tricky obstacle in the past, as neither puppies nor kittens can legally be sold until eight weeks of age, but the social window for cats is nearing its end at around only seven weeks. So, in the past – unless breeders were well informed, educated, and responsible – lots of owners could end up with a bit of a scaredy-cat (I‘ll pause for the eye-rolls).

The outside world

During a young animal’s “social window” they should be experiencing a variety of scenarios and situations in both a positive and safe manner, to avoid sensitisation and steer towards a comfortable association. In the same way many of us have aversion to traumas of our past, our dogs and cats too can hold an almost unconscious grudge.

The thing about lockdown that most new pet owners probably won’t have thought about is how it has unfortunately deprived an entire generation of young dogs and cats from experiencing enough of the world around them.

The decreased access to outdoors and the different smells, sights, and sounds it brings might be leading to a wave of pets that will always be just a little bit trepidatious.

Image © feelmax / Adobe Stock

Therapy?

I think it needs mentioning that there is, for the most part, nothing wrong with a cautious pet – as long as the owner is aware of their pet’s disposition and knows how to manage it.

Management can be as simple as taking them for walks during less busy times of the day, or brightly coloured coats, leads, collars or reigns to alert other dog walkers that they’re in need of a little extra space

Addressing any behavioural ticks with proper therapy or training can also go a long way. Therapy in this case does not mean lying back on a sofa to delve deep into childhood traumas, but a gradual, supportive normalisation of stressful triggers.

Next gen

If we really are producing a generation of nervous pets, then it is the fault of no one person – no “bad” owners, mistakes, or malpractice; simply a product of the times – crazy, unique and unpredictable times.

However, it is the responsibility of any owner to be supportive, observant, and proactive, regardless of your pet’s quirks or the times we live in – another example of why taking on a pet is such a huge commitment that can never be taken lightly.

Consult with your vet if you have concerns and always be patient with your animals, just like us, they are trying their best to keep their balance on unsteady ground.

July 13, 2020