Fear Free Certification

Our mission is to alleviate fear, anxiety and stress in pets and educate and inspire the people that care for them. 

AMCMA is proud to operate two Fear Free Certified veterinary hospitals. Our practice is dedicated to caring for your pet’s emotional and physical wellbeing. We’d like you to know how we meet that goal. Is your pet showing signs of stress and anxiety before arriving at the veterinary office? Ask us if pre-visit sedation or supplements might take the edge off and keep your pet happy and relaxed. Would your pet be more comfortable waiting in the car rather than the waiting room? Just let us know, and we’ll be glad to accommodate you.

You’ll be brought into the exam room a few minutes before your pet will be seen because we’d like the two of you to spend some calm time together. This will allow your pet to explore the room and relax a little first. Special calming chemical signals, known as pheromones, are infused throughout the room. Only dogs and cats can smell them, and they find them relaxing. The music in the room is also specially created for canine and feline stress reduction.

We promise to keep our voices low and calm and to never use force to examine, test, or treat your pet. We’ll use gentle control techniques, innovative tools, and medication when necessary to ensure your pet’s emotional health isn’t sacrificed for the sake of medical care. Unless it’s medically inappropriate, we’ll be giving your pet lots of treats during the visit. This is so he or she starts associating a trip to the veterinarian with good things! That will keep stress levels low.

Bringing your pet into the appointment hungry can help this process along. Some pets prefer to be examined up high, on the table, in your lap, in their carrier, or on the floor. We’ll go where we need to go to make your pet comfortable during the exam. We’ll also use specialized distraction techniques to keep your pet focused on good experiences while we perform procedures, such as injections, that might cause brief stress or pain.

For more information, please visit www.fearfreehappyhomes.com.

To schedule an appointment, please call 314.951.1534
or request an appointment online.