Special promotional content provided by Simmons Veterinary Clinic.

Hi y’all! Simmons Veterinary Clinic officially turns 1 year old on April 17th! Since opening, we’ve helped out 900+ Good Doggos and 375+ Purrfect Cats! Over 500 pet parents are using Digitail (The All-in-One Vet App) and we’ve launched Simmons Vet Pet Plans – an affordable, predictable, and simple means to provide the best preventative healthcare for your pet. 

To honor our successful inaugural year, I want to showcase a core component of our business: stress-reduction for pets in our clinic. And I’ll touch on how to implement some of these in your own home 🙂

Dr. Chris hanging on the front porch rocking chair with his pup Bennie

Dr. Chris walking his pup Griffin in the backyard dog-walking space

A “Homey” Feel

When I looked at real estate to build Simmons Veterinary Clinic, I wasn’t necessarily looking for a house-like structure. But when I visited 121 Church Street, I heard the birds chirping and the trees rustling and felt the sunlight pour through the windows. I knew this is where I wanted to be because it offered certain elements that could uniquely reduce the friction of veterinary visits. 

Ever felt cramped and uncomfortable in a veterinary clinic lobby? Well, here at Simmons Vet, we have both a front and backyard that allow you to walk around with your pup while you wait for your appointment. Or perhaps you’d rather relax on a rocking chair on our tranquil front porch. These comfortable spaces can dramatically diminish the anxiety ramp-up that often occurs in a typical veterinary clinic check-in process. 

Inside, spacious exam rooms give dogs the opportunity to find “safe” spaces, and the flooring is a sheet vinyl that looks like hardwood but offers improved traction for those slippy arthritic pups. Home furnishings and an abundance of windows give it a home-like appearance compared to the usual. sterile medical feel. 

The doggos and cats may not notice each of these touches, but I like to think they’re more likely to feel comfortable if they believe they’re in someone’s home rather than a medical facility. 

Dr. Chris performing an examination in the spacious Jessie Jane suite

Dr. Chris performing an examination in the well-lit, soft blue Bennie suite

Dr. Chris hanging with his pup Griffin and Selina (cat) in the treatment space

A “Fear Free” Color Pallette 

Fun fact: dogs and cats don’t see the same colors as we do! In fact they see a far different color spectrum. In general, blues and greens are known to be softer and more calming, whereas reds and purples can appear very dark and ominous. 

So, I had the exterior painted a lovely green color (Kind Green). The exam rooms, treatment spaces, and surgical suites are each painted separate shades of blue and green ensuring every room is calm and relaxing. (It helps that blues and greens are my favorite colors 😉).

You won’t find a scary red or purple anywhere on the premises!

Selina enjoying the views from the window hammock in the cat-only RJ suite

The large window, cat climbing tree, window hammock, and Catit water fountain in the cat-only RJ suite

🐈 Cat-Only Spaces

If you have a cat, you already know how challenging veterinary appointments can be! Most cats live exclusively indoors which means that their *entire world* is your home environment. You can imagine that leaving that place to go anywhere is inherently scary, let alone a place with needles and new people! 

So, we implemented a few things that dramatically reduce certain cat stressors! 

To start, we designated part of our lobby that is exclusively for cats. We have a cat-only exam room (no doggos 🐶’s allowed!) featuring a large window with an adjacent cat climbing tree leading to a window hammock. We’ve also installed a small Catit water fountain and a FeliWay Optimum plug-in that provides a steady release of calming pheromone throughout the day. To top it off, we have a small toy basket with catnip at the ready for those kitties ready to chill out and relax 😎.

The glass-front, multi-light setting, clean, and heated CASCO WellKennels. These are not the typical stainless cages you find in many veterinary clinics!

Selina hanging in one of the CASCO WellKennels

The MyVet Elevating Lift table which offers a table component that descends all the way down to the floor to alleviate the pain point of hoisting dogs up and down.

Conscientious Equipment

Kennels: When we keep your pet for the day, they won’t reside in a harsh stainless steel cage. Instead, they stay in one of our CASCO WellKennels with glass doors, natural and dimmable light settings, and a heating element. It’s a big difference! See for yourself!

X-Rays: You may not know this but… it’s typically quite taxing on dogs (and staff) to perform x-rays because we have to physically lift the animal onto the table surface. To solve this problem, we installed a MyVet Elevating Lift Table which smoothly descends all the way down to 12 inches from the floor, allowing dogs to jump up on it comfortably. This significantly reduces their stress (and saves my staff from future back problems!). 

Getting Upstairs: Given we perform our procedures upstairs, we also installed a vertical platform lift elevator in the building so that our older, arthritic doggos don’t have to struggle going up and down the stairs.

Treats for All

We have treat canisters scattered about the entirety of the clinic. That’s because treats can be the key to a doggo’s heart (and sometimes cats!). I cannot emphasize how dramatically helpful it is to use treats to positively distract fearful dogs in the exam rooms! 

So what can you do in your home? 

Though this discussion is centered around our intention to reduce stress for pets in the veterinary clinic, there are a few translatable takeaways for y’all to implement in your own home!

Consider the Color Spectrum: Be conscientious of the specific color spectrums that dogs and cats see. You don’t need to avoid reds and purples altogether, but it’s best to consider the impact it may have on your pet. 

Floor Traction: Hardwood floors are aesthetically pleasing, but they can prove difficult for older dogs with degenerative joint pain. I would never recommend changing flooring for a pet, but I recommend subtle strategic traction improvements, such as adding things like runners, such as those from Ruggable.

Cat-Friendly Perches and Climbing Trees: If you have windows that will support it, I recommend considering window perches as they offer significant environmental enrichment for cats who enjoy observing the outside realm. Climbing trees offer similar enrichment with the added benefit of nail filing too!

Treats Everywhere: I recommend having multiple treat canisters in the house, especially for the food-motivated pups. Quick access to treats to grab attention is so helpful for any dog that is highly reactive!

That’s it for today! Hope you enjoyed learning about Simmons Veterinary Clinic! 

We hope you’ll book an appointment to come see us soon! We’ve got readily available appointments and a kind team ready to help you and your furry family members 🙂

– Dr. Chris