Document Type

Honors Thesis

Publication Date

Spring 5-2018

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to create a systematic review of articles pertaining to stress measurement and management of dogs and cats in order to use the information to find a way to reduce stress associated with a visit to the veterinarian. The corpus for this review contains 42 articles with 33 primary research studies and 9 secondary research studies. The information deduced during the review showed that a majority of studies on animal stress take place outside of the USA. The review also showed that a visit to a vet practice begins with client-staff communication. This collected knowledge was used to create four behavioral analysis questionnaires to be filled out by pet owners in order to open the communication between owner and DVM about pet behavior. These questionnaires are a first step for establishing a stress-free environment at a vet’s office.

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