I’ve been using a one-page pre-visit plan and gentle handling script for feline exams, centered on carrier training, brief desensitization to exam tools, and choice-based positioning. It’s cut visible stress (hissing/struggling) by about half over the last 12 weeks in our Thursday PM block; I can share the template and would love feedback or your versions.
But one tweak that helped us: clients do a park-and-text arrival — 5 minutes in the car with a towel over the carrier, then straight to a dim room and exam from the carrier base while they lick Churu off a tongue depressor; otoscopy and temp went from a fight to routine… If that stalls, we switch to a PVP with gabapentin per AAFP handling guidance: https://catvets.com/guidelines/practice-guidelines/handling-guidelines. Does your template include the car wait?
Quick example: I’ve been sending a 60‑second “sound sampler” to clients (BP cuff Velcro, clipper buzz, scale beep) to play with Churu once daily the week before, and those noises turn into elevator music by exam time. It pairs well with your “choice-based positioning,” and for the few that still escalate, a pre‑approved gabapentin dose the night before and morning of has been a good fallback.
Quick win: put your dental stats in the resume header (full-mouth rads 25+/wk, assisted extractions, local blocks) and include your credential number in the PDF filename — my callbacks sped up; small caveat: confirm how the bonus is paid out, @Guide.