Basic Animal Restraint

Hello everyone,

I wanted to create a place where you can regularly go to view some basic k9 and feline restraint techniques.  Thanks to my good friends at Animal Medical in New City, we have the following pictures.

Correct approach towards a canine in the waiting area.

In the above photo, you can see a wary dog.  Notice how it's banked next to the owner's leg.  By approaching the pet from the side, rather than directly on, Jill is less confrontational to a frightened patient that could very likely bite.  She allows her hand to remain at her side where the k9 can investigate on it's own terms.

In the photo below, see a response that is very natural to us, but very confrontational to the dog.  It is our natural instinct to want to stand over small dogs and put our faces into theirs for a closer, more intimate look.  To the dog, this is frightening, aggressive and confrontational.  While people understand that we are only being nice, dogs do not.  Never bend over a strange dog and look at it directly in the eyes.   Our patients in our lobby are frightened and outside of their element.  A bite is very likely, regardless of the patient's 'normal' temperament.

Remember that cats feel safer in the lobby if placed on something higher up, (like the bench you are sitting on...but make sure the carrier is squarely situated so that it doesn't fall off).  For more information on great tips to keep cats calm during the transportation process to the veterinarian and while they wait at our practice, shoot me an email to sit in our live restraint class.

Once cats are in the practice, it's best to allow them to come out of their carriers on their own terms.  In many cases, cats may remain couched inside, a common sign of fear.  To reduce stress, it's best to remove the top portion of the carrier in order to have access to the cat  rather than reaching in and pulling the cat out.  In some cases, the cat can be 'dumped' out of the carrier onto the table, but again, this can be stressful for the patient and alarming for the owner to see.  Use a calm voice at all times.  Remember that any time you reach into a carrier to pull a cat out, you risk a scratch or a bite.

In this picture, a fractious or aggressive cat is prepared for restraint.  The carrier top has been removed and the veterinarian has slipped a heavy town over the bottom portion of the carrier.  With his hands restraining the head of the patient through the towel, he'll use the insides of both arms to squeeze the entire patient's body and lift it from the carrier onto the table.

When taking canine patients out of a cage, it's important to remember to keep your hands and body outside of the cage as best as you can.  K9's may think of the cage as a safe retreat from the frightening environment they see through the bars and may become aggressive towards anyone that tries to take them out of their 'safe' spot to pull them into the scary world.  For this reason, we always use a lead to guide dogs from their kennel.

 Notice the gentle lead that the technician is preparing to slip over the patient's head shown in the background.

With her body safely on the outside of the cage, the technician holds the gentle lead open for the patient to 'walk into'.  Once the lead is around the patient's neck, the technician can escort the patient out of the cage.  Remember, if you are going to walk patients outside, you must always have TWO leads on the patient in case one of them should slip off.

Lateral Recumbancy is a basic position for both dogs and cats.  In the photo below, a technician firmly (but not painfully) scruffs the skin in the back of this cat's neck, while grasping both of it's back legs with the other free hand.

Note how the technician can use the inside of his right arm to push ventrally against the cat's body forcing it if necessary to stretch out more.  This prevents the cat from contacting the the technician's left hand (or the hand of the other technician or doctor).  The left hand has an index finger in between the two rear legs for a more secure, comfortable restraint.  In this photo, the tail of the cat remains behind the restrainer's hand, but in cases, where a cat may move about, the technician can include it in the grasp of the left hand.

Here's the same restraint technique being used on a patient for a saphenous blood draw.

Notice how the tail and the right leg of the patient are being held in the technician's right hand while at the same time she applies gentle pressure to the inside of the patient's left leg.  This pressure make blood pool in the saphenous vein, increasing it's size and allowing the veterinarian to better see where to introduce the needle for the blood draw.

The below photo demonstrates lateral recumbancy in a dog.  It's a slightly different hold.  We don't scruff dogs, rather we use the weight of arms to keep them lying on their side, while the hands holding the table-side legs prevent the patient from getting up.

Though this shows a feline patient, here is the technique we use to place a dog in lateral recumbancy

With the k9 patient pressed into your body, grasp the legs closest to you from the far side of the patient.  While keeping the patient's body close to yours, gently pull the inside legs out from beneath the patient and away from your body.  The torso of the patient should gently slide down you own body to rest easily against the table surface.

In this case, the technician can use his hands and arms to apply pressure to the dog's body and keep them from moving too much.  The hands on the table-side legs, prevent the patient from standing up.  Again, this technique is used on dogs, not cats.  We just happened to have a very gentle cat handy for the demonstration :)

Ventral recumbancy refers to the stomach portion of the patient being in contact with the table.  We also sometimes refer to this as sitting or lying sternal.  Below is an example of feline patient being held in ventral recumbancy for a cephalic blood draw.  The same hold can be used on dogs.  Notice that Sandy is using her entire body to securely restrain and envelope the patient.  This reduces movement and believe it or not, stress.  Animals often respond favorably to secure contact.  The patient looks as though it is being held very hard.  In reality, it is being held securely and comfortably.  Sandy's left hand is preventing the patient from biting the doctor, but it's in no way hurting or choking the patient.  She is using her right hand to grasp, rotate and 'hold off' the cephalic vein that is located on the inside or medial side of a cat and a dog's front legs.

This is Dorsal recumbancy in both a cat and a dog.  Below shows the same positioning if it is necessary to scruff the feline patient.

Like before, this technician is using the inside of his right arm to press against the dorsal surface of the patient.  This arches the patient's back and prevents the patient from striking the restrainer's left hand with its front paws.

Here is another view of ventral positioning that can be used in both a dog or a cat.  An index finger between the front legs makes for a more secure and comfortable restraint for the patient.  If this patient were being positioned for a jugular blood draw, the technician would move his third and fourth fingers of his right hand out of the way and arch the patient's neck towards the phlebotomist.  The jugular vein is found both on the left and the right of the patient's neck, just lateral of the trachea.  When positioning a patient for a jugular stick, listen to the phlebotomist's instructions on which way to adjust the patient's head so that the jugular vein can be visualized.

These last photos show how a cat can be returned to it's carrier.  In most cases, a frightened cat will gladly return to the safe confines of hits carrier.  Simply open up the door to the carrier and allow the patient to walk (or run) in.

You can see that this patient however is reluctant and is bracing itself against entry.  To fight with a cat like this only risks more stress for the cat and a potential scratch or bite to the handler.  Instead, try lowering the patient into the carrier as shown.

I hope all of you have found this helpful.  Please send me some comments if you would like additional holding techniques photographed and explained.   Remember to BE SAFE!!!!!  IT'S IN EVERYONE'S BEST INTEREST.