How is your dog at the vet?

Aleron

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#21
ALeron- I could tell a horror story about taking a coyote for a blood draw that would probably make you feel way better about Roust. :lol-sign:
LOL do tell!

Our "simple" rabies shot ended up with urine and anal gland all over the exam room (I got peed on too and I think the vet and tech did as well). Also a muzzled 50lb dog thrashing, spinning and sliding around, knocking things off the table and likely bruising the vet's leg attempts to get free. While the tech was watching like :eek::eek::eek:
 
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#22
Thank God that Gambits various oriffices lock shut when he's stressed. Well, except for the one in front, as you shall see.

This story starts with a packed waiting room, as all humiliating stories do. Ever notice that the dog is never as bad when its just you and the vet? A tech appears to take Gambit to theback. I warn her that he will not walk for her and will need to be carried. She scoops him up, and he immediatly stiffens and jerks his front legs at angles. It looked like he was about to dance the 'walk like an egyption'. He also starts to whine. At this point a few people are shooting me sideways looks, but no one says anything. About 20 seconds of silence.

Then it begins. Oh, god, does it begin. The screams coming out of the back room could not have been loder if his leg had been caught in a bear trap. Now people are definitly staring, and I know that they were wondering just what I did to Gambit to #$%$ him up so badly.

The tech returns to see if I can come back and soothe him. I get to the back and he's sitting there on the table screaming at full volume. No one is touching him. No one ks even close to him. But he's not shutting up. I try, but he's not calming down, so we just stick him as quickly as possible and I pick him back up. By the way, he didn't seem to notice the actual stick at all.

Gambit is latched on to me, paws hooked over my shoulders and hind legs clinging to my waist. This, naturally, puts his mouth right at my ear so he can scream right into it. Those who have heard a coyote shriek know exactly what I'm talking about.

So we do the walk/carry of shame back through the lobby, where no one is even pretending to be reading the magazines anymore, and are probablyx rethinking using this vet. I call to thereceptionist that I'm putting him in the car and will be back to pay. For some strange reason, she looks relieved to hear this.

I toss him in the car and go back inside, tring to avoid eye contact with other customers. Then I look out the window. Gambit has crammed himself onto the dashboard and ks still screaming. Of course, I can't hear him now, so all I see is his mouth gaping open and closed.

The wailing continues right until I start the engine, at which point he shuts up, starts wagging his tail, and lays his head on my thigh as if to say 'ok Mom, you're back and the world makes sense again. Are we till going to McDonalds for out post vet treat?'

Yes, I took him for a treat. In his defense, he did much better the next year.

But at ,east I wasn't sprayed with pee, so there are small things to be grateful for:lol-sign:
 
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AmandaNola

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#23
She's pretty good in all honesty. She'll walk right into the office (but I usually carry here, as I want to make sure we don't run into any dogs), sit quietly at my feet or on my lap while we wait, is fine with most of the exam (except getting her temp taken:p), and will hold a sit/stay at my side while I pay and get any necessary meds.
 

GoingNowhere

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#24
She's bad. Terrified might be the better word.

They wrote a giant "WATCH" on her page.

Either my brother has to carry all 55 pounds of her fuzzy butt into the vet or I have to use both a leash on a collar and a leash on a harness to drag her in the door. She usually tries to jump onto the waiting bench with us and tries to crawl under the bench or into my lap during exams. She's never growled or bitten (in the exam room) that I know of though. I think she's better in the back when I'm not there, but they still muzzle her for shots and such. We usually give her her happy pills before we go. This makes it easier to get her in the door, but she's still not a happy camper.
 
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#25
Hudson has been to the vet a grand total of twice (and then once more for a weigh in). He thinks the vet is pretty fun. They pet him, give him yummy things to lick and then pet him some more!
 

FG167

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#26
Kastle, Eden, Poppy, Limit, Snitch, Steele, Aikon, and Pan are all wonderful at the vet. Eden and Poppy are so patient since blood draws are usually a multiple-stab affair (cankles, they're problematic). Pan and Steele are ridiculously affectionate and beg to be pet. Snitch acts the same there as everywhere else (crazy). Limit is a little shy but warms up quickly and really enjoys being pet.

Aikon used to squeal and squirm and act like he was dying when he got his boosters but he's seemed to outgrow that (drama-king shepherds).

Robin is a holy terror. They take him to the back, muzzle him, and then 4 techs hold him down while they give boosters and draw blood. He nips, flails, and in general tries to escape.
 

JacksonsMom

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#27
Do you think starting early on with making the vet a 'yay' thing would help a dog or is just mostly personality?

Because I always say with my next dog, I will start taking them as a pup and the first visit maybe just do nothing but get a treat etc. Or at least start out that way. And then maybe do a few pop in's here and there to get pup used to vet and making it a positive experience.

I always think Jackson's fear started because the very first vet I took him to I did not much like. He was 12 weeks old and had no idea where we going or what we were doing so was fine initially, but the vet was somewhat rough and quickly gave him a vaccine and I remember him screaming when he got the shot and just thought he was being a baby (but he's never yelped at any other vaccine after that), and then he ended up having a horrible reaction to lepto shot (like I thought he was gonna die), so I had to rush him back and they just quickly took him from my arms and brought him in the back, etc... so the first experience was definitely not a positive one, I guess ever since then he's been this way...
 

FG167

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#28
Do you think starting early on with making the vet a 'yay' thing would help a dog or is just mostly personality?
I think it's personality...some can be modified with training. But the gut fear I see on Robin's face is so deep, I KNOW training wasn't going to solve it...and we did the "treats, this is a FUN place" thing when he was younger. In fact, he runs in, is great at the desk, is lovely to everyone, until they try to restrain or poke him...no treating that away.
 
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#29
I think it's kind of a combination. Some dogs are just going to be shy or scared at the vet no matter what, but certainly a bad experience or experiences can affect them. Although honestly I find a LOT of dogs who have a history of being scared/"bad" at the vet are completely fine if you just approach them the right way with good "dog manners" and other simple accommodations.
 

Finkie_Mom

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#30
Everyone but Kimma thinks it's great. Food, pets, more food... We usually try to get appointments at the end of the night and they let my guys have free roam of the office - it has been SUPER awesome with Jari and Teemu when he was here, as they both love that place now :D

Kimma is polite, just not happy. She is also SUPER squirmy and it takes a lot to get things like a blood draw out of her. She's getting better with age, but she's never growled or attempted to bite anyone, so I'm not terribly concerned. She DOES love showing off her tricks and getting lots of food, though :p

Honestly whenever another dog has to go in, I take Kimma along with me. The vet/vet techs know us and will give her lots of treats and such just for being there, and she's pretty well-behaved in general so I don't have to worry about that. I do believe that has helped her to become a bit more comfortable there.
 

Shai

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#31
Kim and Webster both turn into balls of joy, ecstatic that they are getting all this attention from strangers. Both get quiet and still with sad ears during any actual shots -- they don't like them but don't fight them either -- then go back to being happy goofballs, soliciting scritches and offering tricks.

Mira is just happy to be doing things, always. She will happily accept petting from the folks but generally doesn't solicit it. Doesn't care for shots but will stand quietly and not protest either. Mostly she just hangs out by me and hopes something amazing will happen, which is pretty much her approach to life in general.
 

stardogs

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#32
If anything, my crew is extra super happy at the vet!

Ziva is perfect, as always. She is fine with all restraints, but generally needs very little. She took staples without numbing since the numbing would sting just as much as the staples according to our vet. She ate treats the whole time, then wagged and asked for pets when they were done.

Kestrel is so thrilled that people are touching him that he can be a bit *too* happy/wiggly. I usually restrain and feed as needed, while the vet/tech does their thing and he always gets complimented. When they did his anal glands he didn't even flinch. :)

Aeri I'm sure is harder to handle when I'm not present, though no one has told me this to my face, I'm just surmising from other situations where people have tried to take her from me. With me present, she's wiggly and wants to see what they are doing, but settles faster than Kes. She's resigned to restraint - not thrilled, but tolerates it.

Snipe is very happy at the vet's but isn't super thrilled with restraint. She tolerates it, but can occasionally decide to pull away here and there. Luckily so far she's only needed vaccines and well dog exams for heartworm scripts so heavy restraint was unneccessary.

I've worked with all four dogs on accepting restraint and there does seem to be some dog-dependent inherent level of comfort with that sort of handling, but all have improved with training on it.
 

FG167

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#33
Forgot to mention, Kastle is the weirdest dog I've brought to the vet. He's very sweet, they can pet him, give him his whole exam and he does not budge (I used to stack him for his exams and he would stay there the whole time) - even when they draw blood. He just makes soft eyes at everyone and wags his tail a little...the pet sitters always comment on how sweet he is too. Apparently, as soon as I'm not around, he plays the "look how innocent and lovable I am" card so that no one will hurt him...and maybe even feed him :p
 

Grab

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#34
Except in Jules' first few years, I've always worked at a vet. so they've always just been fine going to work with me.
 

MericoX

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#35
Kiba, Stryder, and Lincoln are fine going to the vet, until you open the door and they realize where they are. While waiting in the waiting room they try various forms of escaping.

The schnauzer in the exam room, they will shake on the table, but otherwise are fine. I will usually restrain if necessary.

Lincoln spaces out and goes off into a happy place. He will literally stand there and zone out, it's kinda creepy.

Charlie thinks the vet is a wonderful building full of people and dogs just for her. She will annoyingly whine in the waiting room willing people to come pet her. In the exam room she's an angel, until we go back to the waiting room and she whines like an angry Darth Vadar.
 

BlueMerle

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#36
For the most part they are pretty good. I work at a vet office so I get to handle them and that helps a lot.

Jasper behaves his worst at the vet. He jumps up and down as I am walking him. Sorta like a bunny. Its super annoying since we are trying to monitor his front leg problem! :p

Sophie use to have to be muzzled because she would growl at the vet and techs. With me holding her she now will just sit very still and wait. I have everyone leave the room and I do her blood draw myself. She sits pretty and will even wag her tail. haha She just does not like strangers. Never has.

Max loves the vet, heck he loves everyone. haha He sits nice and still the entire time and then dances around the vet waiting for her to tell him it is okay to give her a hug.

Piper has to be muzzled because of her issues we are working on (HA- came to me like that). She use to have to be sedated. I am so proud of our progress!!! I cannot be the one holding her because she gets over protective. I put her in a down stay and she does not move until everything is done. When she had her brain tumor removed early this year she was the best patient ever. I was very proud! :)

Damon loves everyone and wants to give kisses. He will sit perfectly still except for his mouth is open and his tongue is trying to reach the closest person. haha
 

Flyinsbt

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#37
Mine think going to the vet is a huge treat, and get excited as soon as we get close. They aren't super well behaved, because they're so excited to be there, but are willing to show off their tricks because they know there are cookies to be had.

The only real issue is that Tess is really, really unsafe with cats, so I have to be very careful about avoiding cats in the waiting room, and if she does become aware of one, she'll be obnoxiously noisy about it.
 

Southpaw

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#38
Do you think starting early on with making the vet a 'yay' thing would help a dog or is just mostly personality?

Because I always say with my next dog, I will start taking them as a pup and the first visit maybe just do nothing but get a treat etc. Or at least start out that way. And then maybe do a few pop in's here and there to get pup used to vet and making it a positive experience.

I always think Jackson's fear started because the very first vet I took him to I did not much like. He was 12 weeks old and had no idea where we going or what we were doing so was fine initially, but the vet was somewhat rough and quickly gave him a vaccine and I remember him screaming when he got the shot and just thought he was being a baby (but he's never yelped at any other vaccine after that), and then he ended up having a horrible reaction to lepto shot (like I thought he was gonna die), so I had to rush him back and they just quickly took him from my arms and brought him in the back, etc... so the first experience was definitely not a positive one, I guess ever since then he's been this way...
I think a lot of it is personality and a lot of it is training and the owner's reaction to things. I don't think a dog being fearful of the vet has to mean they had some horribly traumatizing experience. Maybe in the dog's mind it was awful but all it could take is one poke from a vaccine or a swab in the ear in order to make a dog think this place sucks. And on one hand, you have dogs that go through rough visits, maybe they were sick or injured as a puppy etc.... and they never turn afraid of the vet.
Some dogs the issue is about being touched or held or being made to sit still and they can be fearful or aggressive when in those situations which IMO in most circumstances is about training.

When mine were puppies I never made a big deal about the vet. They went for their vaccines which I guess were always easy visits, the vet just sat a treat in front of them and quickly poked them while they were nomming the treat. So they didn't even notice it. They went for their spays and got whisked away and stayed overnight, and I just said "see ya" and didn't care lol. But I never brought treats or took them for fun visits etc... I just did what the majority of pet owners do. Lucy has probably had some (what she would consider) very traumatizing visits when she was young, but she's really not that fearful of the vet.

Obviously with Happy I have no clue what her upbringing was like, probably did not include fun trips to the vets with lots of cookies lol.... but she's easy as pie at the vet. I think it's really just in her nature to be that way.

So that was way longer than I wanted and I think I'm just rambling. Basically I almost feel like I'm just lucky that all 3 of my dogs are so good about it, because I really don't feel like I did anything special to make them that way. They just are.
 

Laurelin

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#39
Do you think starting early on with making the vet a 'yay' thing would help a dog or is just mostly personality?
I think a lot is personality. I ALWAYS have treats on me at the vet and have always have taken Mia along for the ride with Summer.

I think it's multiple things really... Mia is not a stranger friendly dog and she's also not a very forgiving dog. Bad things stick with her for a long long time. One bad experience can be a lot to overcome or in some cases she just tolerates it and never likes it again. So the vet is something I think she's predisposed to hate since it's people she doesn't know well that have to poke and prod her. She's actually easy to handle but she's terrified there, you can just tell by her face.

Summer loves everyone so even though she cried and cried this last time at the vet after her rabies shot, she was more than happy to cuddle up to the vet a minute later.
 

JacksonsMom

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#40
I think a lot is personality. I ALWAYS have treats on me at the vet and have always have taken Mia along for the ride with Summer.

I think it's multiple things really... Mia is not a stranger friendly dog and she's also not a very forgiving dog. Bad things stick with her for a long long time. One bad experience can be a lot to overcome or in some cases she just tolerates it and never likes it again. So the vet is something I think she's predisposed to hate since it's people she doesn't know well that have to poke and prod her. She's actually easy to handle but she's terrified there, you can just tell by her face.

Summer loves everyone so even though she cried and cried this last time at the vet after her rabies shot, she was more than happy to cuddle up to the vet a minute later.
Yep this sounds exactly like how Jackson too!
 

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