Fear Free Mini Series #2: Easy Ways To Minimize Stress For You and Your Pet

Does your dog or cat tend to be super stressed at the vet? How's your own stress level at work? We tend to focus on the places that make us (or our pets) stressed, but there's a lot you can do before even arriving to help you to have a more positive, stress-free experience. That's the topic of today's episode!

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Transcript

0:03

Hello, this is Dr. Millia health coach and veterinarian here to help you ditch yo-yo dieting people pleasing and perfectionism by breaking the norm and living a life that energizes you from. This is the second episode in my fear free mini series. So this is a time when I am combining both health coaching and that medicine. And I am talking about how to decrease stress and to boost happiness for both you and your pet. Because I recently got fear free certified, and, um, it turns out that the same principles that help to create a really positive stress-free environment for my furry patients can absolutely be applied to your everyday life. So I'm giving some tips to help your pet before. And then we're going to talk about how you can apply them in your own life. That means if you are not a pet owner, it is still worth listening to this episode because we are talking about ways to boost your day, especially if you tend to feel stressed at work and just throughout the day who doesn't. Okay. So when we think about pets, a lot of the time, they are stressed at the vet because we do weird things to them, including nail trimming, which is what the first episode was about. And. Even as a veterinarian, a lot of the times our focus is just like on our patient when they're here. Of course I'm getting the history and finding out what's happening at home. But the thing a lot of us aren't really thinking about, are like, what was the morning like, or what was like the past hour, like for our patients. Before they arrived in the clinic. And how is that impacting the way that they are feeling right. So there's actually a lot that you can do as a pet owner to help set your pet up for success so that they are arriving at the clinic, not totally stressed out of their mind, which may makes a physical exam and doing the level of care and medicine that we need to it's so much more, doable. It's sadly. Quite common that I have dogs coming in that are just so worked up at an excited, that their temperature is quite elevated. And it's just because their little bodies have just like shake and they're just so warm and, I would love for that to not be happening. So I'm gonna run you through two scenarios. we're gonna focus on cats today. Well, I don't know. Well, let's see what happens. Maybe we'll go with dogs too, but we're going to start with cats. so scenario one, is that a cat suddenly? It is a very hectic morning and it is chased around the house. And then suddenly there's a cold carrier that it only sees when it has to go to the vet. And there are like two people who are trying to like shove this cat in the carrier while it's resisting. at the same time, the owner's kinda yelling to the kids. We have to, like, we have to go or running late. And then, the kid grabs onto the handle of the carrier. They're kind of. Jostle the carrier around while the cat kind of bounces inside of it. And then they go into the car. There's like loud music. Kids are talking, they're yelling at the traffic on the road, cause they're running late. And then finally, you get to the vet hospital and the cat is brought in and like right away, we want to get vitals. So temperature, pulse, respiration, and yup. Re immediately go for a rectal temperature. That might be the last straw for that cat gods. Don't like change. And that was hella stressful. Now let's think about scenario two. This cat is. Alrighty snoozing. And one of her favorite places, which is her carrier it's often kept by a window that gets a lot of light. And so it tends to be really warm and it always has like these really cozy blankets in it. And some pheromones that make her feel really calm. And so one morning the owner just closes the carrier and they pick up the carrier from the bottom. Nicely supported. It's kind of carried like a really important package into a car. There are cars really peaceful. There's like some classical music or there isn't any music. There's a towel over the carrier. So she kind of has dim lighting and she doesn't see a lot of scary things. And then once she gets to the vet hospital, the top of her carrier is taken off so she can kind of hear. You still with her cozy blanket and she's offered a little variety, a little smorgasbord of food to see what she likes and just kind of scratched and given a moment to take things in which of those sounds better to you. And which of those mornings sounds more like your current morning routine? Getting ready before you go to work? So. We don't really think about the little things that we do that are having such a big impact on the way that our pets feel. Um, they are dogs and cats are so in tune with us, you know, I would say dogs, maybe more than cats. Cats are kinda, you know, they want us to be paying attention to, to what they need. They're gonna rule the world. But even cats, they know what your routine is and they know what their routine is. And my goodness, if you change their litter or if something, some piece of furniture moves or there is a change in your schedule that is stressful. And so if there's just suddenly tons of commotion, their entire day has been completely turned upside down. They're in this scary place. in this carrier that only comes out when bad things happen, then that's not setting us up for a second. And sadly it's uncommon that I have cats that are just really laid back and comfortable at the vet. And, there is a lot that you can do to help them. So we can talk a little bit in more detail about some of the things that I just mentioned in that scenario. Two. Number one, let's talk about the carrier. the carriers where the top can be opened and also carriers that have multiple openings. So you can open this side and that top, those are wonderful because it's nice for cats to feel like they have options. The other thing is you don't want the carrier to only be something that comes out when they have to go to the vet. This is something back to desensitizing. Like we talked about in the first episode, or we want them to be associating that space with something. Safe and positive. So finding, cats love warm places. So where can you find that would be like a warm environment where you can create like the super cozy little cave for them? blankets are a great pheromones are another thing that I mentioned. So when cats like rub their cheek up against something, and they're in a good mood, they're leaving some pheromones and. they have created some synthetic pheromones to mimic those and our popular one is feel away. And that comes as a spray or age fuse. Yeah. Um, and that can be really helpful. So if you, put a diffuser, it's kind of like a Glade plugin, you can put that in an area close to the carrier, or you can use the spray for like, as needed times. So if you are about to be driving them, you could either put it on you. Um, like about, I think they say 15. At least 15 to 30 minutes, maybe you have to like, let the alcohol dry for it to really be, um, taking a fact, you can spray that on you or in the car. And that also is just really helpful to kind of help them get the message that it's a safe space. Another thing that I mentioned is that cats really like to be supported. So, even though. And this is one of the things that I really learned from the fear free certification, but, you know, you would think you would just hold out to the handle of the carrier. Right. But that's really unstable for them and they don't feel very supported. And so if you think about that carrier, like a really fragile important package, which it is right. Your kiddies in there. So I'm really just holding it from the base, with two hands, really supporting it. Smooth transportation. That's really helpful. not like walking into the clinic, kind of juggling like one hand or holding on to a leash for your dog, the other cat that's kind of. and then, just looking for veterinary hospitals that are also being mindful of the experience that your cat is having, you can look for, fear free certified hospitals. So those are hospitals that are really putting these practices in place. So help to make sure your cat has a safe space. There are some clinics that have special cat rooms. That's also really helpful because then the rooms don't smell like dogs. It usually has dim lighting. Um, and I've worked in a practice before that had that kind of setup. And that really did make a huge difference. The cats were much con. And then finally, if you have one of those cats that you've been told is crazy and like they really can't handle, um, then really have a conversation with your veterinarian about what kind of medications they may be able to prescribe for your cat. So there are. A couple of medications that work so well with cats that you would just give like a couple of hours before coming. And it's kind of like, they've have just like a little glass of wine before coming. It's not to completely knock them out, but it does really help them to have a much, more comfortable experience. And of course that's less stressful for you and the support staff. It's just a more positive experience for everyone. Let's go ahead and talk a little bit about dogs too, because I think this is an important topic. for dogs, you really want to do the same thing, think about, are you bringing your dog to other places other than the vet? How do they feel about that? do they enjoy going to other places? Do they like being in the car? if they don't, then again, it goes back to the desensitizing that we were talking about in episode one and really just going slow and letting them get familiar and feel. If you have gotten into the habit where the only place that they go to is the veterinary hospital and they tend to be stressed there. Then I'd encourage you to talk to the hospital about having happy visits. So that's where they would just go to the vet hospital and it can be a super fun, like they get a treat, they movie get pet and then they get to leave. And that. And you really want to start having them associate going to the vet wisdom, good things, not scary things. And it does take some time, but that's so worthwhile for everyone to have a much better experience as especially when your pet isn't feeling well. It's not helpful to bring them then to a place that. And also it makes them really stressed. Cause that's also going to, be straightening their immune system on their health and healing. Of course that's necessary sometimes, but we want to be proactive and making sure that the pets are arriving in a state that helps us help them the most. There are also some really great calming product. So for dogs, there are pheromones as well, they're called adaptable. And that also comes in a color form for dogs that can be hugely helpful for dogs that are nervous in new situations. while you're getting them used to the car or going to different places. If you have a puppy that is really timid, then I highly recommend the adoptable callers. Like while they're. Well, they're growing up to help with building confidence. That can be hugely helpful. and you can also get that as a spray or diffuser as well. Thinking along the same guidelines that we were speaking about with a cat, you do just want to make sure that You are not feeling stressed well, going to the vet because the dogs are so in tune with how you're feeling. So making sure that you are leaving enough time, you know, making sure to bring some of their favorite treats, you can also bring a toy. Like if your dog loves a ball, bring it with 'em so that it can be fun, um, in the car, make sure that they are feeling secure so you can get good harnesses in a seatbelt situation. So that they're a little bit more supported, make sure that they aren't the type that gets car sick. If they do, you can definitely talk to your veterinarian. We have some anti nausea medications that can be helpful, and make sure that the car is relaxing. if you. Rune to road rage, keep that in check and just recognize that your dog is feeding off of your energy. And so it's really helpful if you're feeling an arriving in a calm. And then again, there are medications for dogs as well that are hugely helpful if they just tend to be really stressed or wild at the vet. it's hard for them to be receptive to any of these trading modifications when they're just stressed out of their mind. if they are in that like fight flight freeze or. fidget mode, which we'll talk about another time. then they can't be receptive to the things that you're doing. And so these medications can really help to just take that down a notch so that you can start working to desensitize and I'm working to be making it a more positive experience. Now, how can this be applied to your life? Pretty much in the same way. You know, you really want to be thinking about how is your morning setting you up for success or to be stressed. So there's this thing called macro stressors, micro stress. And it's the sneaky kind of stress because you really don't. Notice that it's happening or they're just like little tiny things that are maybe like slightly irritating, but you wouldn't necessarily think of them as stressful. So that could be like the alarm going off, especially if you're hitting snooze and it's going off multiple times. Certainly if your kid is waking you up, like when you're running. Um, when you're sleeping, it can look like feeling completely rushed, not leaving enough time in the morning because you wanted to keep snoozing. It can look like not eating and nourishing breakfast, and then just being really hungry by the middle of the day. So the way that you are approaching your mornings is absolutely setting herself up for the way you feel. And if you've already had like a ton of little micro stressors, by the time you get to work, then when that first person comes up and asks you to do something that is. You know, annoying or you look and just like already, your schedule is completely full, then that's already going to feel like too much, or that might be what tips you over the edge of already being crazy stressed. When if you had had a relaxing morning that was helping. Decrease your stress then you would likely be so much more resilient, for a more positive day and to have the energy, to make it through a busy day. So some of the things that you can do. Number one is to really get up so that you have enough time. And I know it can be so tempting, like in the morning is always when you're bad, just feels the most comfortable. Right. It's never. It's never as comfortable when you first go to bed, but right before you have to get up, it's great. And it can feel so tempting just to like push news. You know, if you're tired, feel like, oh, I just want like five more minutes. But the thing to keep in mind is that at that point you're already awake. And really, if you are snoozing for like another five or 15, That's really not going to make you feel any more rested. It's just going to keep making it harder and harder to get out of bed. And yet, if you were to give yourself that time, if you. Instead of snoozing able to use those 15 minutes to like go out for a little 15 minute run. The sense of accomplishment that you would have for the rest of the day would be so energizing. And you're also going to get so much more of an energy boost than you would. If you are just snoozing for, you know, a few more minutes, then you're going to kind of feel groggy. that was the key for me. I can, I don't have trouble consistently working out in the morning. And the reason why is because I noticed such a huge difference on the days that I work out, I am so much more awake in the morning. And on the days that I don't, I I'm just so much more blah. And so knowing that gets me. And to my workout. The important thing to recognize in this situation is that it is going to be a little bit uncomfortable making that decision to get out of bed, but you are making the rest of your day so much more comfortable by doing that one thing for. And it does go down, you know, think about like physics 1 0 1, an object at rest stays at rest. And so there's always gonna be that, a little bit of motivation or that little like boost of effort to get going. But once you have that momentum going, it's going to feel so much easier. So also really thinking about not going to bed too late, it can be so easy, especially if you are having a crazy busy day and just exhausted until the end of it. You just want to stay, or it's cozy on your couch. if you are loving love is blind like me. It can be so tempting to want to watch like the next episode, just to know what's happening. but really remembering how. Important, feeling well, rested is, is going to be really helpful. Other tips, for waking up in the morning, I would definitely recommend setting your alarm too close to the same time every day, even on the weekends. I know because. Your body will get used to that. And if you can get your circadian rhythm on that schedule, you'll start to wake up naturally and that's going to make it so much easier. Versus if you're waking up at very different times every day or getting very different amounts of sleep, sleep is an important just basic foundation. And I know that if you're a mom right now, you might be just hating when I'm saying, I promise I have more tips for you too, when sleep isn't an option. And finally, if you are one of those who just like always pushes the alarm, then I encourage you to keep your phone or your alarm where you can't reach it to encourage you to just get out of that. Okay. The second tip is one that everybody should be doing. There's absolutely no reason that you can't do this. And if you're going to do one thing on this list for you, this would be it hydrate. So your brain. Almost 75% water. So if you're not properly hydrating, then your brain can't function, optimally and raisin brain is no way to start a day. Right. So when I say hydrate, I mean water, I don't mean coffee or tea because you've just gone for a long period of time without any water or hydration and your body. Water, not caffeine. That also has a diarrhetic, just good old water. And so the fairest thing, like when you wake up. Really encourage you to have a big glass of water. That alone is going to have such a big impact on the way that your brain is feeling and your energy after that, go ahead and have your coffee or tea, but make sure that throughout the day, you're hydrating. Because if you are a little bit dehydrated, that is going to be stressful for your body. Now, let's talk about coffee. There are so many things that aren't black and white when it comes to health and coffee is absolutely one of those things. There are a lot of really wonderful benefits that you can get from coffee. It can even be good for your gut health. It can be great for your brain. It gives you a nice little energy buzz and sometimes mood. but it can also contribute to an anxious feeling can make you jittery. Sometimes it can cause GI side effects. So really encourage you to check in with how your body is feeling with coffee. And if you do tend to be really stressed or really anxious, then I would definitely recommend thinking about cutting back or at least. Even trying to substitute it with something. And one great substitute for coffee can be either, like regular green tea or matcha, which is, a powdered form. It's where they have like ground the green tea leaves. So it's higher in caffeine and higher. And the antioxidants. Green tea has a really cool ingredient that has a calming effect and that can really help to balance out the caffeine in it. So that it's a more stable and like calm energy versus that like super jittery buzz you can get from coffee and speaking of animals, there are veterinary supplements that you have L-theanine in that. Supplements in general, you really have to make sure that you are paying close attention to the testing that the company is doing and the quality, that we can maybe talk about that later. It's a big topic. I really like consumer labs. If you are big into supplements, it's worth getting that membership so that you can look at the supplements that they have tested, but in terms of a veterinary product, I really trust veteran's science and they make composure choose, which have and also tryptofan. And that can be a really great option for cats or dogs before, going to a vet or stressful situations. The next thing is I encourage you to set things out ahead of time. So it really only takes just a few minutes the night before to set out your clothes. Set out your workout clothes, make sure you always put your keys in a certain spot, like pack your lunch, do these little things that aren't going to take any time. You know, I'll always pack a lunch while I'm making dinner, because all the food is out. That's going to save you so much time in the morning, and it's also really minimizing the chances that you're going to be scrambling for something or going to realize that you didn't have like that clean shirt that you needed. and. That way you can just kind of like go through the motions smoothly makes a huge difference. I also really encourage you to do something that helps you to feel grounded. So in the morning, is there anything that you're doing for you to feel mentally prepared? I really, invite you to explore the, what things are, do help to keep you grounded. And I wrote a blog post for indie vets that all link to. Exploring, like what are the foods that really are comforting and nourishing to you? so that may look like meditating. It could be journaling getting outside, working out, reading, having a little dance party in the bathroom. Whatever you need to do to start your day. Just on a positive note, prioritize. Speaking of nourishing foods. What are you eating for breakfast? Number one, are you eating breakfast? Because if you are the type of person that doesn't think that you need breakfast, or you're not making time for it, I really encourage you to experiment with how you feel when you do eat breakfast, because, It while you may not think that you need to, like how hungry are you by the time you are finally eating something. And I also really want you to pay attention to what your eating habits are like at night. Do you tend to go crazy or overboard at night? And there's a good chance. That's because you're not setting yourself up for success in the morning. And a really nourishing breakfast really sets you up for second. So, if you are having breakfast, what is that breakfast made of? Because so many of the normal breakfast foods are like completely void of any of the nutrients that your body actually needs. And they're really high in refined carbs and sugar. So, you know, if you're going for like a bagel or toast or cereal or doughnut, those are. Having a lot of sugar and not much protein or healthy fats or nutrient dense plants, like veggies or fruit that have fiber and are going to give you lots of vitamins and antioxidants to feel great. And so what's going to happen is that you may initially feel an energy boost because of. Uh, blood sugar spike, but that's going to dip really quickly because you don't have any of those other nourishing nutrients to be stabilizing your blood sugar. And you're going to be crashing by 10:00 AM and hungry, and it's going to feel things are going to feel so much more overwhelming when you are. You don't want to reach that point when you're hangry, if your blood sugar is getting low, you're just hungry. Then everything feels absolutely miserable. And everybody seems totally irritating. And you really want to avoid that. You want to be feeling resilient. It does not have to take a long time to make a nourishing. I promise an easy thing that you can make is an egg mug. So you literally. Taken a mug and puts a little bit of water and ag and you microwave it for like a minute. It's ready to go. And I have some recipes and reels on Instagram that shows how to make some that has cauliflower rice. There'll be surprised you want to be, even be able to detect it. And how amazing would it be if you started your morning? Having had cauliflower. you can use like some avocado, you can do salsa, so you're getting veggies and it takes like no time. That's so simple. you can also experiment with other things like a chia seed pudding or overnight oats. You can make those in really nourishing ways. Yeah. That prep time takes no time. The night before literally is like a minute. And you could do that for the entire week. So there truly is no excuse for having an unhealthy breakfast and for not having breakfast. Finally, I just want you to think about how you can make your commute fun. It is not fun judging everybody else on the road. And instead, like, how can you take advantage if you are, driving to work? Um, or even if you're working from home, like, what do you want to do as you go to your desk? Like, are you giving yourself some time in the morning as if you had a commute? A car dance party can be a really epic way to start the day, especially if traffic is slow. I mean, just put on a good song because you're, you have to be there anyways. Why not make it positive? I love now that I have some pretty long commutes to some of the hospitals I work at. it's a great opportunity to be listening to a podcast. you can listen to an audio book. You could call a friend, or sometimes I just let my mind water wander and process things. Really. It's nice to have that time when there aren't a lot of options for what you can do. And so it can be a really good time just for your brain to, um, for you to like go through your little brain movies and see what's on your mind. The biggest thing for both you and your pet is to first experiment around and find what works well for you and what works for your pet, because it is so individual with what you need and then try to create a predictable routine because That predictability is going to take a lot of the stress out. If you kind of always know what emotions you have to go through in order to have enough time in the morning and to start your day, then that can, that in and of itself can be very calming. Um, uh, same for a pet. You know, you want as much of it to be predictable and safe, as possible. So for me, if you're curious what my morning routine is like, I have very slowly integrated, more and more things, and I do. Quite early, which means I go to bed very early. Um, like usually by eight o'clock is when I start going to bed and, or like getting ready and winding down. And if I'm in bed by nine o'clock, it makes me super happy. And a lot of the times I do wake up at like four 30 or five, so that I have enough time in my morning before I have to leave to do the things that are important to me. I wake up and one of the first things I do after brushing my teeth, I drink a big gigantic Yeti size glass of water. And then, um, it now depends on what sometimes I'll have some black coffee where I add a prebiotic to it. Sometimes they'll have tea. Sometimes I will just have hot water. and then I go upstairs and, um, Journal a little bit, and that has hugely made such a big difference. I do a workout and then I give myself five or 10 minutes to meditate. And then I go downstairs, I take a shower and get ready and I make a big salad bowl for breakfast. And I solids are not like these like tiny little, you know, iceberg. Zero calorie situations. They are packed with tons of healthy fats and protein and amazing ness. Um, and it looks like I could have tons of ingredients in my salads, but it literally takes me. Less than five minutes to put together because all of those are staples that I have either in my pantry and fridge, or I will roast big batches of vegetables and then I'll just have it on hand to throw in. So, even a big salad can be so easy and nourishing and I have a salad for breakfast. Sounds crazy to you. Um, I dare you to just try it for a day and just pay attention to how satisfied you feel. Make sure that it does have a really good dose of protein and healthy fats. Um, but just check and see how long it is before you're hungry. Check in with how you feel mentally and physically just explore. Sorry, that'd be in Kelsey. It's, it's all about being playful and experimenting and not judging. Just try, you know, have fun. So I hope that this is given you many tips that you are excited to try out both for your cat or dog and for you. And I look forward to both you and your pet, having a much more enjoyable stress-free fear for. Start to your day. Cheers. Your health, happiness, and success.