When you go to the vet, you know that they’re doing everything they can to create the best possible experience for your pet. But that doesn’t stop at providing good patient care – it also applies to the clinic environment that your veterinary team works hard to create. This means taking important steps to reduce fear, stress, and anxiety within your pet’s visit to the vet through avoiding contact with other patients in waiting areas or reducing noises or smells that might cause additional stress.
A major aspect of creating a positive, Fear Free environment in the veterinary clinic is reducing or eliminating the use of harsh chemicals. Even we humans are often bothered when we walk into the room and are greeted with an overwhelming chemical odor, and this is even more true of our pets. When it comes to disinfecting surfaces to kill harmful pathogens, it can be easy to think that harsh chemicals are a necessary evil – after all, their purpose is to destroy germs. However, some disinfectant technologies are highly effective against pathogens, while remaining safe to our pets, and to your pet’s healthcare team. Rescue™ Disinfectants, formulated with Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide®, help keep your veterinarian’s clinic safe, while helping create a fear- and stress-free experience for your pet.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, disinfectants are being used more than ever before – this means it’s even more important that pets not be exposed to harsh disinfectant chemicals when they go to the clinic. When veterinarians use Rescue™, they are using a product that is non-toxic and non-irritating to humans and animals and does not contain any harsh chemical smells or added fragrances. Equally important, Rescue™ is biodegradable and doesn’t leave harmful residues behind on surfaces or in the environment. This gives veterinary staff confidence that harmful pathogens will be killed, without compromising the safety of their patients, clients, and team. But that’s not the whole story – choosing the right disinfectant goes beyond finding the right balance between safety and effectiveness.
For instance, odors that cause fear, stress, and anxiety aren’t limited to harsh chemicals – they can also be natural pheromones left behind by other pets. This is where the importance of cleaning comes in – in fact, cleaning must take place as part of the disinfection process, to remove dirt and debris so the disinfectant can work. Rescue™ Disinfectants contain strong detergents, allowing cleaning and disinfecting to take place in a single step and effectively removing pheromones from surfaces. By choosing Rescue™, your vet is providing a clean, germ-free environment for your pet, eliminating odors that can cause anxiety.
With COVID-19 precautions, we’ve gotten used to seeing people spray surfaces with disinfectant and immediately wipe them dry, but this is not effective. To work properly, all disinfectants must remain wet on the surface for a certain period of time; this is called contact time. If a disinfectant has a contact time of 10 minutes but evaporates before this is reached, it would need to be reapplied to ensure that the surface is disinfected. Your veterinarian chooses Rescue™, because it has contact times as rapid as 30 seconds, helping to guarantee that exam rooms are disinfected effectively after a sick pet has left. This also gives veterinarians more time to focus on what matters most: providing the highest standard of care for your pet.
When done right, cleaning and disinfection can be a cornerstone of your veterinarian’s efforts to create a Fear Free environment for your pets, in addition to protecting them against the threat of infection. Choosing Rescue™ helps your veterinarian ensure that your pet will have the best possible sensory experience while remaining safe from harmful infections.
This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.
Brought to you by Virox Animal Health.
