Unfortunately we cannot accept patients who exhibit aggressive biting behavior that endangers our staff.
Going to the vet is scary for some pets and we get that! A scared pet is very different from an aggressive pet. Most scared pets can be worked with using many of the Fear Free techniques that we provide and most of the time can learn to trust us over the course of a few visits as they learn that we will do everything we can to make them feel safe. We welcome scared pets who need a little extra time and effort to feel safe! When a pet is so afraid that they cannot learn to trust us and instead will bite as a first response to fear, the pet is unfortunately not a candidate for care at CHAI. We commonly offer training recommendations for those pet parents and have seen amazing outcomes as pets go through a training program to overcome some of those fears. We have seen many pets back at CHAI after training with incredible results. We want to be able to help every pet who comes to us but there are some who need to be worked with at a level that we simply cannot. If you would like recommendations for trainers in our area, please let us know. Aggressive pets who lunge at our doctors and staff, attempt to actively bite, and who create an unsafe working environment for our doctors and staff, are not accepted at CHAI. If our staff cannot safely work with a pet, or if the medical staff cannot safely place a muzzle onto the pet in order to protect themselves, that pet is not a candidate for our services. CHAI is a referral, integrative medical facility that offers alternative care for pets with chronic disease processes. These services require close contact for long periods of time. Pets who are aggressive cannot be worked with on the same level as non-aggressive pets and it is a disservice to both our client and the pet, as well as a danger to our staff and doctors, to allow them as patients.
