On August 29, 2024, Academic Press (an imprint of Elsevier) published Equine Welfare in Clinical Practice: How and Why to Incorporate Equine Behavior and Welfare Assessments into Clinical Practice, edited by V. Wensley Koch, DVM. Stacie is the sole author of Chapter 3, “Minimizing Fear Associated With Veterinary Procedures” (pages 49–68), contributing the book’s chapter on the Fear Free® approach alongside chapters from internationally recognized equine welfare scientists.
Minimizing Fear Associated With Veterinary Procedures
Chapter 3 of Equine Welfare in Clinical Practice, by Stacie G. Boswell, DVM, DACVS-LA — Academic Press (Elsevier), August 2024
The book is a clinical reference for equine veterinarians on assessing and improving the welfare of their patients, bringing behavior science into everyday practice. Stacie’s chapter distills the Fear Free approach she helped bring to equine medicine into practical guidance for the exam room and the barn. From the published abstract:
“Patient mental and physical wellness in equine clinical practice are intertwined and equally important for quality of life. The Fear Free® program minimizes fear, anxiety, and stress in pets and educates their caretakers. Using the three Fear Free principles (Considerate Approach, Touch Gradient, and Gentle Control) strengthens the human-animal bond, enhances patient treatment, and makes owners more comfortable with veterinary care. Considerate Approach encompasses the veterinary team’s concern for the patient’s reaction to their actions. Touch Gradient begins hands-on physical contact in a non-sensitive area and assesses the patient’s response throughout a procedure. Gentle Control uses the least physical restraint necessary to administer care. Sedation and analgesia are also components of restraint discussed in this chapter. Procedures that cause undue fear, anxiety, and stress but are not medically urgent should be postponed until the horse can be trained at home using a veterinary-guided cooperative care plan to facilitate medical care.”
— Abstract, “Minimizing Fear Associated With Veterinary Procedures,” Equine Welfare in Clinical Practice (Elsevier, 2024)
The chapter is available through ScienceDirect (DOI 10.1016/B978-0-323-99508-5.00009-4), and the full book can be ordered from Elsevier (ISBN 978-0-323-99508-5).