High cortisol levels from fear or anxiety can suppress the immune system and slow healing. Veterinary teams now use "Fear Free" techniques to reduce patient stress during exams, leading to more accurate vitals and better medical outcomes.

For decades, the fields of veterinary medicine and animal behavior existed in relative isolation. A pet owner would visit a vet for a "medical" issue—vomiting, limping, or skin lesions—and a behaviorist for "mental" issues—aggression, anxiety, or destructiveness. However, in the last twenty years, a paradigm shift has occurred. Modern research now demonstrates that these two disciplines are not just related; they are inseparable.