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122 Tasks for the Veterinary Assistant

Physical restraint increases the competency of the veter- Restraint of Companion
inarian and technicians. If used effectively it reduces
patient stress and prevents harm to all. A calm, confident Animals
attitude by a patient’s handlers reassures an animal and
elicits cooperation. Loss of temper, yelling, or hitting Restraint in the veterinary clinic has under gone a revo-
can result in injury to staff or patient and is never appro- lution of sorts. Gone are the days were we immediately
priate. Skilled handlers always control their emotions placed a companion animal into a restraint hold the
and treat animals kindly but firmly and patiently. moment their feet hit the exam table. Research has
Although this chapter covers some of the major methods shown this made pets and owners extremely anxious, to
of physical restraint for dogs, cats, pocket pets, livestock, and the point where both dreaded going to the veterinary
horses, the reader is directed to texts, websites, and video- office. The current trend is to make the visits as stress
tapes devoted in their entirety to animal restraint. and fear free as possible.
Supplementary resources are listed at the end of the chapter. This doesn’t mean that you never hold a leg or head,
Restraint is much like ballroom dancing – it is a coor- it just means that we are going to be more mindful of
dinated effort. The veterinarian or technician takes the how soon and how long those holds will last. It also
lead; the assistant follows. In following, the assistant must means we will be more mindful when an animal strug-
anticipate the actions of the other staff member and gles. We used to think “never give up, never surrender”
respond so smoothly that the movements of the two are when we restrained a patient, but now we release a
seamless. For example, as a patient is lifted to the exam patient after a certain length of struggle time and after
table the restraint (dance) begins and must be main- several tries. Instead, we try different holds, some
tained until the examination is complete and the animal restraint equipment and, if those fail, chemical restraint
is returned to the floor (music ends). may be needed such as sedatives, tranquilizers, or gen-
There are some basic rules to observe while you are in eral anesthesia. These drugs are safe to use on just about
charge of restraint: all patients and many of them have reversal agents that
clear the effects from the patient, so they go home
1. Never take your hands or eyes off the patient. Watch without feeling groggy or semi‐conscious.
and listen to the patient for cues to it becoming upset.
2. Be aware of what the other personnel are doing;
watch, listen, and anticipate their next moves. Patient Defenses
3. Pay attention to the patient’s body language. Make
modifications in restraint techniques to respond to Before we go further, we need to discuss the arsenal of
changes in the patient’s attitude. natural weapons animals bring to the table. Cats and fer-
4. Modify the restraint technique to present the body rets have sharp canines (Figure 8.1) and claws that cre-
part that needs to be examined. This means you will ate deep punctures that often become infected. Both
be constantly changing the position of the patient tend to bite numerous times and rake with their claws
and the restraint technique used. when fighting. Ferrets will often bite and not let go – you
5. Use your whole body when restraining, not just your may have to put them under running water or dunk
hands. them into water to make them let go!
6. If you are losing control, let people know; “I’m
losing it, or it is slipping out of my hand!” Never just
let go as that is how people get hurt. Try to hang on
as long as you can and perhaps that may be all the
time needed to complete the procedure.
7. Always use minimum amounts of restraint first. Distraction
techniques, easy handling from the beginning of the
procedure, and advancing only as needed.

Reflection

Think of how a patient would feel if handled roughly
and without compassion. How would they react?
How would they feel? Then think of how you can
alleviate those reactions and feelings as you learn
restraint and then as you practice it throughout your
career. How will you best learn “the dance” when it
comes time to restrain a patient for a procedure? FIGURE 8.1 Ferret dentition. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.
org/wiki/File:Buffy_teeth.jpg. Public Domain.