Happy at Home provides veterinary care and services inside your home. Dr. Rebecca travels to your home for your appointment and will conduct the exam and other procedures inside your home environment.

The advantage of an in-home consult is a lower stress experience for both you and your pets. Your pet will be in a familiar environment and will be able to avoid anxiety-provoking car rides, noisy waiting rooms and interactions with other pets that are inevitable during a traditional office visit.

In-home visits are particularly ideal for cats, as they are often averse to car rides and cat carriers; fearful and anxious pets; and elderly pets that have difficulty traveling.

These visits are also convenient for individuals with multiple pets and those that prefer more time for questions and discussion of their pet's care during consultations.

Low-stress handling will facilitate a more positive experience for your pet and increase the likelihood that subsequent visits for veterinary care will go smoothly. A common misconception is that force is the quickest way to get an animal to do something, when in fact this only contributes to increased fear and anxiety, making future visits with the vet more difficult, lengthy and stressful for everyone.

With low-stress handling, we aim to make your pet feel as comfortable as possible, by taking our time during the exam, using positive reinforcement such as favorite treats, praise and toys and tailoring the structure of each visit to the needs of your individual pet. Aversive methods and force will not be used.

A major key to successful low-stress handling is allowing sufficient time for each visit and avoiding rushed appointments where speed is prioritized over pets' comfort levels. For this reason, all of our consultations are set at a minimum time of thirty minutes, rather than the average 15-20 minutes at many veterinary clinics, to allow for a more relaxed experience.

We are happy to do whatever it takes to help your pet feel more comfortable during exams, whether that's working in conjunction with your trainer, booking extended consult times or returning for multiple visits where only a few issues are dealt with each time.

To learn more about the importance of low-stress handling, please visit some of our recommended articles:

• Less Stressful Veterinary Visits — The Whole Dog Journal

• Positive Veterinary Visit Position Statement from the AVSAB (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior)

• Building a Foundation for a Fear Free Veterinary Visit — Fear Free Happy Homes

Please choose a quiet, out-of-the-way area of the house where your pet feels comfortable and that can be easily cleaned after the visit is over. Exams will generally be conducted on the floor. Please be prepared to remain with your pet for the duration of the consultation. If you feel that the presence of one or two additional family members or friends might increase your pet's comfort level, they are welcome to be present as well.

We advise having your pet's favorite treats handy (this goes for both dogs and cats) for use during the appointment. You might also consider feeding your pet a bit less in the hours leading up to the appointment so they will be hungrier and more motivated by food during the appointment.

We may also bring our own treats, so if your pets have any dietary restrictions or foods that you prefer they not have, please advise us ahead of the appointment.

You are welcome to contact us any time before your pet's appointment with any questions or concerns.

These consults are designed to address behavioral concerns such as fear, anxiety, aggression and inappropriate behaviors in dogs and cats. Each consult will be scheduled for at least sixty minutes and will include a thorough history-taking and discussion of problems and possible solutions. We might not handle your pet during these visits, but rather simply observe their behavior.

Particularly for behavioral concerns in dogs, we will often suggest working with a force-free trainer as a first step to address these issues. We are happy to recommend many excellent trainers through Force Free Trainers of Wisconsin that can assist you. In some cases, behavioral modification work with your trainer may be sufficient to get things on the right track. In other cases, we may discuss trying medications to lower your pet's stress, anxiety and arousal levels, in conjunction with behavior modification plans.

We love to collaborate with trainers on cases and welcome your trainer to be present for any of your pet's visits, whether behavioral consults or regular exams.

If your pet requires a service that we can't provide in-home such as x-rays, ultrasound or surgery, we will work with you to find an appropriate general or specialty practice veterinary clinic in the area to address those needs.

We do not offer euthanasia however, we are happy to provide a list of in-home euthanasia providers listed on this page: https://www.happyathomevet.com/in-home-euthanasia

Palliative care for sick and elderly pets is most definitely offered and we are happy to create a plan with you to keep your dog or cat happy and comfortable for as long as possible. We understand that it can be incredibly difficult and emotionally taxing to be caring for a pet at the end of their life, and we are committed to supporting you through this in any way that we can. Pain control, administration of subcutaneous fluids to keep your pet hydrated, anti-nausea medications, dietary modifications and other symptomatic treatments may help to keep your dog or cat feeling better. We are also happy to work with other veterinary professionals in the area that offer acupuncture, massage, laser therapy and aromatherapy to provide a multi-modal therapy approach for your pet.

If your pet is having a serious health issue that you perceive to be an emergency, we recommend immediately taking your pet to one of the local emergency or urgent care veterinary clinics.

Please visit our website page for a listing of local facilities here: https://www.happyathomevet.com/pet-emergency-care

If you have any concerns during Happy at Home's business hours and are unsure whether you should schedule your pet for an exam or simply take them to an emergency clinic, please call us at (414) 514-0145 and we'd be happy to advise you on the best course of action.