How do you handle examining a snake? Unlike a dog or a cat, snakes can be problematic to hold in place. Dr. Yin introduces her colleague, Dr. Brown, who shows how to work with the snake to keep it calm and safe. Working with Pearl, our 1-year–old Arizona Mountain Kingsnake, Dr. Brown covers body condition and looking inside the mouth to check the teeth and the quality of the mouth and gum tissue, among other things. If you’ve ever wanted to know how you give a snake a shot, or where to find the lungs or the vent, then this

Floyd, a 3-year-old bearded dragon, needs a health checkup. But how can we give him one in a way that minimizes stress and keeps him safe? Dr. Yin introduces her colleague, Dr. Susan A. Brown, noted exotic animal medical specialist. Dr. Brown demonstrates safe handling with Floyd the Bearded Dragon, covering basic, Low Stress Handling examination techniques. She covers nutritional needs, light requirements, pupil reactions, skin – a whole range of basic health checks that work for many lizards. This 17-minute tutorial is a great beginning look at the care and handling of lizards for animal enthusiasts of all levels.

Intro by Dr. Sophia Yin In 2009, I produced the first and only textbook and DVD on Low Stress Handling of dogs and cats in the hospital or shelter setting. Since then the methods and philosophy have spread around the world. In this article, my colleague in the Netherlands, Dr. Valerie Jonckheer –Sheehy details how she used desensitization and counterconditioning to give a cat a pleasant toenail trim. The techniques used in this case are based on Dr Sophia Yin’s protocol for trimming the nails of an anxious dog. Counterconditioning for Toenail Trim Aggression 15 April 2014 History: The owner reports

A cat comes in to the hospital stressed to kill. What should you do? While cases like this are stressful for these fearful cats, they can cause just as much anxiety in experienced hospital staff as well as clients and other patients exposed to the sound of the loud struggles that ensue. Often we can completely diffuse the situation without even needing to talk the cat down. We can just move into a quiet, comfortable room and use some simple towel-wrap techniques like so. In other cases, in order to provide a thorough examination and the procedures the cat needs,

Edited 2017 Being a strong contributing member of a veterinary hospital team is about keeping your education current. From information on diabetes or heart conditions to better bedside manner and handling end-of life issues, it’s this new information, new views plus, tricks and tips for doing anything better, that keep the job fresh. What’s one area of continued education that can affect medicine on all levels? Low Stress Handling®. It gives you the ability to treat more patients more effectively and efficiently regardless of the type of medical condition as well as putting clients at ease by demonstrating your compassion and

With all of the dog bite attacks that circulate in the news, you may sometimes worry; what if that were you? As a veterinarian focused on behavior and an avid runner, I’ve dealt with a lot of dogs charging towards me and threatening to bite.  In spite of working with aggressive dogs as well as running by off-leash dogs on a daily basis, I have only been bitten—minor bites— a few times over the last 20 years. What’s the secret? The number one secret is to stay calm. The more you scream and try to move the more aroused you’ll