Across the veterinary field, we often talk about access to care. Usually, we are talking about this in a financial sense, how costs of veterinary care may define an individual’s access to care for their pets.
But there is another side to access to care that I never hear discussed – how anxiety and nervous system dysregulation are just as big of a barrier to care.
If your cat fights you getting in the carrier, screams the whole way to the clinic, then urinates all over themselves, you aren’t going to want to bring your cat to the vet!
If your dog is pacing, growling, and tries to bite the vet, not only are you going to want to put that visit off as long as possible, you also may be worried your vet is going to judge you. (And honestly? Some of them are.)
And these two issues do not exist in a vacuum, either. Having an anxious pet can be more expensive, further expounding the barriers to care.
- Maybe your dog needs to be sedated for every nail trim.
- Maybe your cat’s glucose was high on their bloodwork, and they need an additional test to see if they were diabetic or just high-stress.
- Maybe your cat has a heart murmur or an elevated heart enzyme, and need an additional test to see if it’s heart disease or stress.
- Maybe your dog needs 3 visits to accomplish your goals, leading to you having to take additional time off work.
- Maybe your pet didn’t eat for a week while you were gone, and now needs to be hospitalized.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Your pet deserves a vet clinic that cares about their mental health and prioritizes having a regulated nervous system. Physical health and mental health are not separate; they both affect each other and your pet’s overall wellbeing.
