The current VIN date & time: Eastern

VIN BHVR200-0422: A Comprehensive Approach to Reduce Fear, Anxiety and Distress in Veterinary Patients and Beyond

The lectures for this course will be presented in an audio format using a webinar platform.

Presenter: Christine Calder, DVM, DACVB Veterinary Behaviorist
Course Open: March 30-May 14, 2022
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Wednesdays, April 6, 13, 20, 27 and May 4, 2022; 8:00-10:00 pm ET (USA) World Clock Converter
Total CE Credit: 10
RACE Category: 10 hours Medical

Skip to Enrollment

Course Information:
Research indicates that many of our patients are fearful and anxious at the veterinary hospital. Both anxiety and fear can sometimes make it difficult to properly diagnose, treat and provide wellness care to patients. Routine procedures such as drawing blood, giving injections, and restraint can be a major source of distress in veterinary patients. However, this stress is not unique to our patients, in fact, many clients fail to bring their pet to the veterinary hospital to avoid the stress the visits cause the patient and themselves. In this course you will gain a better understanding of the canine and feline physiological stress response; the clinical signs of distress; tools and strategies available to minimize stress and anxiety; pharmacological interventions and how to development an individualized handling plan. Long-term behavior modification solutions will be included. Research indicates that many of our patients are fearful and anxious at the veterinary hospital. Both anxiety and fear can sometimes make it difficult to properly diagnose, treat and provide wellness care to patients. Routine procedures such as drawing blood, giving injections, and restraint can be a major source of distress in veterinary patients. However, this stress is not unique to our patients, in fact, many clients fail to bring their pet to the veterinary hospital to avoid the stress the visits cause the patient and themselves. In this course you will gain a better understanding of the canine and feline physiological stress response; the clinical signs of distress; tools and strategies available to minimize stress and anxiety; pharmacological interventions and how to development an individualized handling plan. Long-term behavior modification solutions will be included.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
  • identify stress related behaviors and understand the biological stress response.
  • choose tools and develop strategies to reduce distress in veterinary patients.
  • identify when pharmaceutical would be beneficial and which to choose.
  • develop individualized handling plans and document emotional stress scores in the medical record.
  • create behavior modification programs for common husbandry and veterinary procedures.

Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE course is open for enrollment to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists actively interested in reducing fear, anxiety and distress in veterinary patients.
Accreditation: This course is approved for 10 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 20-898689)

Course Agenda:

Week 1 (Real Time Session April 6, 2022): The Biological Stress Response
Physiological changes and how to recognize when things are going “south.”

Week 2 (Real Time Session April 13, 2022): From Home to Hospitalization
Tools and strategies to minimize anxiety and improve welfare in veterinary patients.

Week 3 (Real Time Session April 20, 2022): Individualized Handling Plan
Creating an individualized handling plan and documentation.

Week 4 (Real Time Session April 27, 2022): Veterinary Visit Pharmacology
What are our options? when do we use them? And how do we choose?

Week 5 (Real Time Session May 4, 2022): Behavior Modification Programs
What are long term solutions for improving the overall welfare of our patients and just maybe help them like us a little better?

Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.


Enrollment is closed.


Tuition: Member $230 ($207 early bird special if enrolled by March 16, 2022)
Non-Member $355 ($319 early bird special if enrolled by March 16, 2022)
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on April 6, 2022 at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member and non-member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director

VIN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357