Our doctors are Fear-free certified veterinarians.

What does a Fear Free experience mean? It means a happier pet, a more thorough exam, and can aid in healing and recovery when an illness occurs. It also means a more relaxed pet owner and the invaluable peace of mind in knowing that your furry family member is less stressed and is being treated with love.

Fairfax Vet and our Team strive to reduce patient stress in everything we do. Our hospital is designed with this at the forefront, from our separate dog and cat exam rooms and lobby areas to our non-slip flooring and Fear Free colors throughout the facility. We also utilize relaxing “Through a Dog’s Ear” and “Through a Cat’s Ear” music playing in the background and calming dog and cat pheromones to help make our patients feel at ease. In addition, our doctor’s jackets and team scrub outfits are in Fear Free colors to reduce “white coat syndrome”! Even more than appearances, our teammates undergo training on Fear Free and Cat-Friendly techniques to ensure that we are providing a positive experience for every patient. We will treat your pet as we would want for ours. This means, extra time to get comfortable in the exam room, extra TLC from our team, and the familiar comforts of home like lots of toys and treats, beds, accessible water, and litterboxes to make their visit as pleasant as possible.

We encourage owners to bring their pets in for “Happy Visits” to spend a little time in the hospital setting to get treats, love and have a positive experience without any exams or procedures being performed. Over time, this can help reduce anxiety about hospital visits. We also offer private “Calm at the Vet” dog training sessions with our certified dog trainer to help instill confidence and reduce anxiety in dogs for vet visits. Please visit our “Calm at the Vet Training” page for more information on these classes and to sign up!
Also, check out our dog a cat rooms in the photos below and come by for a tour!

Calm at the Vet Training
One of our core missions at Fairfax Vet is to reduce stress and anxiety in pets and their people during their visit. A more relaxed pet allows for a thorough exam and can actually aid in treatment and recovery when an illness occurs. To help promote a relaxed, confident patient, we have taken extra effort to create an environment in our hospital that reduces stress. In addition, we encourage pet owners to take advantage of our Calm at the Vet Training Program. This is a dog training program that is tailored to improving comfort and confidence for vet visits, exams, and procedures. The classes are provided by our certified dog trainer and focus on building tolerance and reducing anxiety associated with exam palpation, instruments, the scale, restraint, and more. Please see the video and information below and contact us for more details and to sign up!

Please check out the following links on how we help your pet be comfortable during their visit and ways you can help. Click the links below for more information about our fear free practice: