Animal Agency - Giving Animals a Voice in their Training
Vet Ready® is a free, live online educational programme designed to help owners understand their animals, build communication, and develop cooperative care skills that support positive veterinary experiences.
Vet Ready®
Helping dogs and cats develop confidence for calmer, low stress veterinary care
Vet Ready® is a free, live online educational programme delivered through participating veterinary practices, providing pet owners with access to practical education for better veterinary experiences.
Using ethical, evidence-based training and cooperative care principles, Vet Ready® supports pet parents in preparing their animals for routine veterinary care before challenges arise.
Whether you have a new puppy, a confident adult dog, a rescue animal, or a cat that dislikes the carrier, Vet Vet Ready® provides practical knowledge to help build confidence and reduce stress for both animals and their caregivers.
Why Vet Ready® ?
Veterinary preparation is an important part of animal welfare
Veterinary care is essential throughout an animal's life, yet many dogs and cats experience fear, stress, or anxiety during transport, handling, examinations, or medical procedures.
These experiences can affect welfare, behaviour, future veterinary visits, and guardian confidence.
Vet Ready® was developed to help guardians prepare proactively, teaching practical skills that encourage cooperation, confidence, and positive veterinary experiences.
Rather than waiting until a procedure becomes necessary, Vet Ready® focuses on building lifelong veterinary life skills through gradual, welfare-centred training.
If your canine or feline companion has already developed fearful or difficult responses to handling or veterinary care, individual behaviour support is also available through The A.B.C. – The Animal Behaviour Consultant. Simply click the relevant link in the menu above to find out more.
The Free Vet Ready® Programme
Live interactive webinars for pet parents
The Vet Ready® programme is delivered through a series of free live online webinars, allowing pet parents to learn alongside others while having the opportunity to ask questions, develop their understanding, and build practical skills with their own animal.
Is your veterinary practice a Vet Ready® Partner Practice?
Ask your vet if they are part of the Vet Ready™ programme.
Join anytime
Vet Ready® is designed as a progressive learning journey, allowing pet parents to begin at any stage and access previous sessions through recorded webinars.
The programme works by:
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Learning through monthly live webinars
Each session introduces new concepts, skills, and practical guidance. -
Practising skills at home
Pet parents can apply what they have learned with their own animal, progressing at a pace that suits their individual needs. -
Accessing recorded sessions
Previous webinar recordings are available to support those joining after the programme has started. -
Optional assessment and certification
Pet parents who wish to formally recognise their animal’s progress can continue through the paid Vet Ready™ Award Pathway.
The programme covers:
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Understanding behaviour and emotional wellbeing
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Building communication and training foundations
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Cooperative care
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Confidence building
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Veterinary handling
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Health checks
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Transport and veterinary visit preparation
Optional Vet Ready® Awards
Pet guardians who would like personalised guidance and formal recognition of their animal's progress can continue through the optional paid Vet Ready™ Award Pathway.
The award pathway includes professional assessment, personalised support, and certification through four progressive stages:
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Vet Ready® Foundation
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Vet Ready® Essentials
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Vet Ready® Advanced
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Vet Ready® Clinical Confidence Awards
Supporting Veterinary Practices
Vet Ready® has been developed to complement veterinary care by providing practices with a free educational resource they can recommend to clients.
Participating practices can receive:
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Vet Ready® starter flyers
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A QR code linking directly to the programme
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Digital promotional resources
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Recognition as a Vet Ready® Partner Practice
This enables practices to provide clients with trusted education while encouraging proactive preparation for future veterinary care.
About the Creator
Vet Ready® was created by Zoe Norquoy — Co-Founder, Trustee and Operational Lead of the Psychiatric Assistance Dogs Foundation, a national registered charity, and founder of The A.B.C. – The Animal Behaviour Consultant — to help dogs, cats, and their guardians develop the skills needed for calmer, more positive veterinary experiences.
Zoe has worked professionally with both domestic and exotic species for over two decades, including companion animals, marine mammals, and wildlife. Throughout her career she has specialised in animal learning, behaviour, welfare, and clinical animal husbandry, teaching animals to voluntarily participate in their own healthcare using positive reinforcement and cooperative care techniques.
This experience included training animals for voluntary cooperative procedures such as blood sampling, eye treatments, ultrasounds, gastric samples, and routine veterinary procedures—principles that now form the foundation of the Vet Ready® programme, adapted specifically for dogs and cats.
Today, Zoe combines her practical experience with qualifications in clinical animal behaviour, nutrition, and psychopharmacology to provide evidence-based education that supports animals, owners, and veterinary teams alike.
To learn more about Zoe's professional background, qualifications, professional memberships, and current studies, please visit the Home page.