Fear Free expands its certification offerings with a new program designed for emergency and urgent care veterinary practices, ensuring low-stress care in critical situations.
DENVER, Jan. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Fear Free®, a leader in providing science and behavioral-based education to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) in animals, is proud to announce the launch of the Emergency & Urgent Care Practice Certification program.
"Since our inception, Fear Free has been dedicated to empowering veterinary professionals with tools and education to transform how care is delivered," said Dr. Jennifer Merlo, Vice President, Operations. "This new Emergency & Urgent Care Veterinary Practice Certification program changes the standard of care for pets everywhere, ensuring that even in the most critical moments, FAS is minimized. We're excited about this program and the additional initiatives we have on the horizon to further elevate veterinary care."
The new certification program bridges the gap between routine care and urgent or emergent scenarios, offering veterinary teams the training and resources necessary to implement Fear Free techniques in high-pressure environments. This includes specialized protocols for triage, treatment, client communication, and staff workflows to ensure the emotional and physical wellbeing of pets and their caregivers during emergencies.
"Since 2018, we've been able to reduce FAS in Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practices by training every team member on our standards," said TD Steward, Director, Growth Strategies. "With the launch of this program, we're giving ER and Urgent Care practices an opportunity to adopt these standards in critical situations. This program allows teams to deliver the same exceptional level of care that pet owners have come to expect, even in the most challenging circumstances."
Dr. Marty Becker, Founder of Fear Free, emphasized the significance of this milestone: "The launch of this program is another pivotal step in our journey to make Fear Free the global standard in veterinary care. By expanding into emergency and urgent care, we're not just growing – we're transforming the industry to ensure pets everywhere receive compassionate low-stress care when they need it most."
Veterinary professionals attending VMX 2025 are invited to visit the Fear Free team at booth #2126 to learn more about this groundbreaking program. For those unable to attend, detailed information about the Emergency & Urgent Care Practice Certification can be found at .
About Fear Free:
Founded by Dr. Marty Becker and developed by hundreds of experts in behavior, medicine, and handling, Fear Free is a global initiative that offers online and in-person education that empowers veterinary professionals, the pet professional community, animal shelter staff and volunteers, and pet owners to create low-stress environments for pets. Fear Free provides both professionals and pet lovers alike with the knowledge and tools to look after a pet's physical and emotional wellbeing thereby reducing fear, anxiety, and stress in animals during veterinary visits and other interactions, i.e. grooming, pet sitting, daycare and boarding visits.
Veterinary or pet professionals can learn more about becoming Fear Free Certified by visiting fearfree.com. Pet owners can visit fearfreehappyhomes.com to access free videos, articles, and more that will help improve the physical and emotional health of their pets right at home.
Shelter, rescue, and animal welfare employees and volunteers can visit fearfreeshelters.com to enroll in the complimentary program.
Media Contacts:
Andru Valpy, FFCP-V
Marketing & Communications Manager
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (303) 226-9086
Media Contact
Andru Valpy, Fear Free, 1 3032269086, [email protected], fearfree.com
SOURCE Fear Free

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