Veterinary Practice News: Reducing pet anxiety during travel aimed at music therapy collaborative
The ARK at JFK, Zoundz Music For Pets join forces to improve overall pet wellness throughout the traveling process
January 16, 2023
Delivering high-quality pre- and post-travel animal care and veterinary services is the driving force behind the new creative partnership.
The ARK at JFK partners with Zoundz Music For Pets in incorporating music therapy across ARK’s facilities to reduce stress and anxiety in dogs and cats. The project involves installation of Zoundz music in ARK’s reception, kennel, veterinary exam area, and in transit vehicles.
“The ARK is committed to the comfort, safety, and well-being of pets and their owners throughout boarding and while in transit,” says Elizabeth A. Schuette, ARK president and CEO. “We are dedicated to implementing industry best practices and utilizing innovative tools and solutions to provide an ongoing superior experience for our animal and human clients alike.”
Zoundz music is created by a multi-disciplinary team of music composers, producers and engineers, animal behavior researchers and specialists, and veterinarians, who evaluate and interpret calming attributes from animal behavior studies.
“Helping animals live less anxious, joyous lives is first and foremost,” says Derrick L. Garrett, Zoundz founder and CEO. “We’ve composed an extensive library of songs carefully created with species-appropriate tempo, sound frequency and instrumentation to deliver maximum calming effects to dogs and cats during stressful situations.”
Research published in the journals Physiology & Behavior and Journal of Veterinary Behavior, respectively, show the potential for auditory stimulation as a highly effective environmental enrichment technique for kenneled dogs, and playing music in a shelter environment may help mitigate some of the stress inherent for many of these dogs.
Also, key scientific findings published in the journals Applied Animal Behaviour Science and Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 2020 showed–in cats–a significant preference for and interest in species-appropriate music compared with human music, and cat-specific music may benefit cats by decreasing the stress levels and increasing the quality of care in veterinary clinical settings.
“With a better understanding of how music can influence behavior through science, we’re excited to expand our efforts with The ARK to help more animals relax pre- and post- travel,” says Garrett.