Promoting Animal Well-Being: The Role of Stainless Steel Cages in Veterinary Clinics
Stainless steel cages are found in most veterinary clinics across the world, often being used for both canine and feline patients and some exotic species.
The perception of cages of any kind to members of the public can be poor, but using the right stainless steel cages can have a positive impact on animal welfare and be a great advantage to a clinic.
They are excellent for biosecurity as can be easily disinfected using appropriate techniques without worrying about damage to the surfaces.
Various layouts of cages exist, which allow a certain flexibility in the clinic to fit with a practice trying to balance patient safety, hygiene, and patient welfare.
Patient welfare is at the forefront of the veterinary industry and equipment that makes this easier is always worthwhile. Members of the public assume a level of patient welfare when leaving their pets in the clinic, so it’s vital to ensure this occurs.
Safety for staff members
Stainless steel cages are much safer for staff members as they allow the behavior of a patient to be observed from a distance, without the staff having to get close and risk injuries from bites or scratches.
The initial components of pain scoring can be performed by observing the patient from outside the cage and watching their reactions.
This also means that the patient themselves is less aware of being observed and their “personal space” remains intact, so they tend to remain calmer (in an already strange situation for them away from family and familiar scents and surroundings).
The easy closure of the cages prevents damage to fingers or paws from becoming trapped within the cage.
Safety for patients
As the cages are smoothly finished, there is no risk of a rough edge or surface that the patient can catch themselves and cause injury on.
They are unable to get through the gaps between the metal cage bars, so cannot hurt themselves falling. They cannot affect the closing mechanisms, regardless of whether they lean or put pressure on them, so they are safe and secure inside the cage.
Welfare of patients
Due to the design of the cages, there is excellent airflow and ventilation which prevents airborne particles from staying for too long on surfaces. It also allows for the patients to have good airflow and prevent overheating by being too enclosed.
As the patients can see out of the cages, they feel less enclosed and often are calmer as they can observe what is going on around them.
An unfamiliar environment can be frightening for patients, but a bright area where staff can observe the patients and talk to them to help calm can be helpful to make them feel less scared.
Because they cannot injure themselves or others, as mentioned above, they will be safer overall and if they are vocalizing in distress staff members can hear them and come to help them.
The cages are designed to be large enough that the patients can turn around and exhibit normal behavior which is good, but without being too big that they can cause damage by knocking themselves on the sides.
Cleanliness
Stainless steel as a material by nature is durable and easy to clean. The cages can be wiped over, or areas submerged in cleaning products, to allow for a thorough disinfection and can even be left with disinfectant in contact for longer periods of time to prevent any diseases remaining.
This all helps prevent cross-contamination, as when the next patient is placed in the kennel it is not only visibly clean but is disinfected, allowing for the reassurance that diseases will not be passed on.
Conclusion
Stainless steel cages have many benefits to both the patients and staff in the clinic.
As well as the above, they are durable and hard-wearing so last for a long time due to their high quality.
They can be customized to allow them to stack on top of others or for various sizes and configurations which makes for a highly useful system for many years.
