Wakefield vets barking up the right tree for canine welfare with award from Dogs Trust

Paragon Veterinary Referrals has received Dog Friendly Clinic accreditation from Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest canine charity and the British Veterinary Behaviour Association (BVBA).

Among the facilities Paragon has invested in to help it gain the accreditation are separate waiting areas for dogs and cats and separate rooms for placing IVs and taking bloods.

It also holds team training for the client care team who don’t deal with patients clinically but are the first point of contact on arrival, so need to be aware of canine behaviour.

Training includes learning the signs when dogs are stressed, nervous or anxious and then being able to advise what is best for the patient.

Molly Firth, registered veterinary nurse and a dog advocate at Paragon Veterinary Referrals, said: “We have a large team of dog friendly advocates which includes registered veterinary nurses, student veterinary nurses, patient care assistants and a client care team, who have all worked extremely hard to become accredited and are all very proud of this award.

‘’We are still working very hard to make the practice even more dog-friendly and reduce stress as much as possible for all clients and dogs.”

Other canine friendly measures at Paragon Veterinary Referrals include stress scoring while the patients are in hospital, allowing them to devise contingency plans to make them feel more at ease.

Paragon has also created a created an advice sheet which is emailed to the client before they visit with their pet, which explains how Paragon can help if they have a particularly anxious dog.

Molly added: “This dog friendly status will help put the clients at ease when bringing their pet to us.

"They know we are going to treat their pets with the utmost respect and they will be cared for with the love and affection that they deserve.”

Dr Rachel Casey, director of strategy and transformation at Dogs Trust, said: “Veterinary care is an essential part of dogs’ lives, but some find visits to the vets stressful.

“We are very pleased to collaborate with the BVBA to create the Dog Friendly Clinic scheme to help veterinary practices embed the principles of behavioural medicine into clinic life."