Very nervous dog and vets WWYD?

meleeka

meleeka

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I’ve taken on a 6 year old German Shepherd bitch. She’s not seen much of the world and has been badly treated before as is very nervous with new things and people she doesn’t know (came from travellers a couple of years ago into a home who didn’t push the issue and never took her out). I was hoping to get her spayed which would have been the end of September. However, after a disastrous visit to the vets a couple of weeks ago for her jabs, I’m not sure how it will be possible or how fair it is on the dog. Our vets currently aren’t letting clients into the practice, but take your animal from you in the car park. On this particular day it was very hot and the car park was full of people and dogs and by the time I waited 30 minutes K had got herself in a right old tizzy. She refused to go with the vet so I took her towards the door. She then stopped and was truly petrified. Eventually after I suggested the vet do the jab in the car park, she dragged me back to the car and we left.

The thing is I don’t think, aside from carrying her, she’s going to go into the vets in the first place. She’s a big girl and it takes two people to lift her. I’m also not comfortable with her being kept In a cage all morning (drop off is usually 8.30am and pick up at 5pm).

Would you wait until after her next season or speak to the vet to see if the experience can be made less traumatic? I’m tempted to leave it but I’m concerned she’ll then be in her 7th year and I’m concerned about the risks of not getting it done.
 
I would put this most definitely at the door of the vets to sort out lol - they will have experience of this sort of thing and I’m sure that they will be able to make some special arrangements which are less stressful for your lovely girl so she can be treated without being too upset?

I would think they will probably give her a sedative while you are still with her (in a socially distanced way in the car park?!) so she is pretty much ‘out of it’ when you leave her, then arrange for you to collect her ASAP when she has come round?

Whilst I haven’t had dogs who are that nervous I have had ones who have hated being left and it is very difficult, but my vets have always been great at mitigating things as much as possible. Might be worth taking the day off work if you can, I have had the phone call.... “yes your dog has come round and is fine, PLEASE come and collect him/her as he/she is howling the place down” ??
 
Both my st poodles were given a calmer injection( pre med)in my company,and taken at the last minute in for their spay..This could be done in the car park and for sure your girl would be less agitated.Id ring the vet to ask them.
your girl would also need to have her blood taken pre op to run her stats..maybe this could be done the day before?
 
In Sweden it is still common to wait with spaying, and castrating, until there is a problem, so from that point of view, I don't see a problem with waiting until next year. However, if the restrictions continues next year, you would be in the same situation then.

Any chance you could drive by your veterinarian's car park with her, and just sit there and wait for 30 minutes, before going home? Doing that a few times might teach her to at least not get "herself in a right old tizzy", only because you're waiting in the veterinarian's car park.
If a nurse/the veterinarian could then come out, and give a calmer already in the car park, perhaps it won't become such a big deal for them to get her into the practice.

If you also can do what Levrier suggested, about doing it on a day when you're off work, and can remain waiting in the car park, then hopefully they might be able to make an exception due to her history, and come out with her as soon as they're done with her.
 
Good idea Lev, I’ll phone the vets Monday morning and ask them what they’ll be prepared to do. Given that they were reluctant to do an injection in the car park last week, I’m not that hopeful (when my JRT was spayed they wanted to keep her in overnight, which I refused). There is another local vet with an excellent reputation so I might try them if my vet isn’t accommodating.
 
Can’t believe they wouldn’t jab her in the car park! If they can’t accommodate you move practices- it’s what I had to threaten to do this morning with my practice.

Some vets are being completely over the top in relation to treatments at the moment.
 
Some veterinary practices are more helpful than others regarding nervous dogs. I registered one of my fosters with a practice who were willing to let me stay with her while they were stitching up a wound a few years ago rather than take her to my usual one. If your vets are not willing to help, you could ring around a few practices and see if one of them would be more accommodating.
 
meleeka said:
Good idea Lev, I’ll phone the vets Monday morning and ask them what they’ll be prepared to do. Given that they were reluctant to do an injection in the car park last week, I’m not that hopeful (when my JRT was spayed they wanted to keep her in overnight, which I refused). There is another local vet with an excellent reputation so I might try them if my vet isn’t accommodating.
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If they're not willing to accommodate a dog with such a background, I definitely think you should start to "shop around", and see what other veterinarians in your area might offer.
 
I find it interesting that my vets still won’t allow people into the surgery but the other practice in town was allowing owners to accompany their pets in (before the latest kerfuffle of course!)

I could understand it more if my vets had maintained any semblance of social distancing in the car park when they were talking to me as an owner, but they didn’t ? But their rules so of course I followed them - in pre Covid times they would let me in for everything, including seeing my dogs being stitched up (even when I fainted ?)
 
Bit bonkers if they won't inject in the carpark.

A local vet did with a friend's Rottie or, as a rescue with a less than stellar past, she'd have been one very poorly dog. Mine will inject in the carpark, otherwise I'd be going to the other one. The GSD has become reactive to vets, for some reason only known to herself, and has to be muzzled and would be in a right old state. And one of the Grotties..., well, it wouldn't be happening even though they both love visits to the vets as a rule.
 
I ask that anything stressful is done in the carpark as a matter of course anyway as my practice is an old converted house and is very narrow/claustrophobic and I don't want them to have negative associations.

Mine have to pass a vet check/temperament test at big competitions so being funny around vets and the accoutrements is not an option.

If I've got something coming up, I go through a period of going to the vets a couple of times a week for no other reason than to feed a hungry dog cooked chicken. It's also good for the students or nurses to scan them or be nice to them/pet them.
Not sure if that's doable in the current circumstances but worth a try.
Just so vet/carpark means nice grub, mot always stress.
If she will hold a ball or toy, let her, she can take her nerves out on that like a dummy.

I usually play tug with mine (just keeping tension on a rope) when getting jabs done and by the time they've noticed, it's done.
I do KC myself as the last time a vet did it, it turned into an episode of Steve Irwin ?
 
MrsMozart said:
Bit bonkers if they won't inject in the carpark.

A local vet did with a friend's Rottie or, as a rescue with a less than stellar past, she'd have been one very poorly dog. Mine will inject in the carpark, otherwise I'd be going to the other one. The GSD has become reactive to vets, for some reason only known to herself, and has to be muzzled and would be in a right old state. And one of the Grotties..., well, it wouldn't be happening even though they both love visits to the vets as a rule.
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Luckily mine isn’t aggressive in the slightest, but she was so scared, I did think If ever there was a time she might resort to biting, that would have been it. I’m pretty sure if I had been allowed in the vets (and taken the JRT as back up) she’d have coped. She went in the first time with the vet ok, but I think the wait and the people were just too much. If I hadn’t left it til the last minute I would have left and gone back another day.
 
MrsMozart said:
Bit bonkers if they won't inject in the carpark.

A local vet did with a friend's Rottie or, as a rescue with a less than stellar past, she'd have been one very poorly dog. Mine will inject in the carpark, otherwise I'd be going to the other one. The GSD has become reactive to vets, for some reason only known to herself, and has to be muzzled and would be in a right old state. And one of the Grotties..., well, it wouldn't be happening even though they both love visits to the vets as a rule.
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One of our Rotters was treated in the car park several years ago for an eye problem. She is very nervous at the surgery, she objects strongly to having her temperature taken and always seems to expect that to happen. We had taken her very laid-back, 'hail-fellow-well-met' sister for moral support but the young vet was nervous of her, which really didn't help, so one of her colleagues intervened and offered to look at the eye in the car. She did have to have an op later but we managed that without too much difficulty - we certainly wouldn't have left her overnight though!
 
I'd expect there to be a way round managing it- admit at a quiet time (maybe you could hand her over and leave as to be honest you are probably anxious which will rub off on the dog - might be better if she cant see you).
Definitely get her spayed. She will be more stressed if shes sick when she has to be spayed due to pyometra...
Talk to your vet?
 
'Some vets are being completely over the top in relation to treatments at the moment.
'
A jab in the car park though means you and vet in close contact - not ideal atm. I did see someone point out recently- if client infects one vet, they are likely to infect that practice and then you have no vet for two weeks at all.. so in everyone interest to keep each other safe. Human medical settings are different- the person kind of has to come in! I still cant get over beauticians being able to operate on non essential face to face stuff- or hair dressers only wearing visors no masks etc...
It's all fine til somoene has covid..
 
SusieT said:
I'd expect there to be a way round managing it- admit at a quiet time (maybe you could hand her over and leave as to be honest you are probably anxious which will rub off on the dog - might be better if she cant see you).
Definitely get her spayed. She will be more stressed if shes sick when she has to be spayed due to pyometra...
Talk to your vet?
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She’d probably go into the vets if I wasn’t there, but I doubt I’d ever get her near the place again. I don’t want to traumatise her any more than necessary, which is why I’m asking the question. Part of me was thinking she’ll hopefully be more confident generally in 6 months, but then on the hand it’s possibly better to get all the trauma out of the way now so she can get on with being a happy dog.
 
meleeka said:
Luckily mine isn’t aggressive in the slightest, but she was so scared, I did think If ever there was a time she might resort to biting, that would have been it. I’m pretty sure if I had been allowed in the vets (and taken the JRT as back up) she’d have coped. She went in the first time with the vet ok, but I think the wait and the people were just too much. If I hadn’t left it til the last minute I would have left and gone back another day.
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I've never known any of them to do much as show a tooth, but the GSD got totally worried at the last vet. As far as I saw the vet did nothing wrong, just walked towards us, but my GSD was totally stressed and making the weirdest low moaning sound and backing away from him. The Rottie in question gets worried. He'll stop and think and work out if it's an issue or not. If he believes it is then he has once done a short low grumble growl. I won't push it, instead lighten the energy and work around the whatever it is. Someone who didn't know him might try and be more direct or think they have to dominate him. The odd thing is he's the most protective. If any of us get hurt he's in like a shot to check we're okay.

It's knowing our dogs and doing what works for them whist keeping everyone safe. You did the right thing with yours for sure.
 
Mine is also incredibly fearful at the vets. They wouldn’t be able to get a needle in him at the moment other than by forcing him. Even on anxiety meds he was cowering away. He had been fine last year. Then went in for his jabs at the start of lockdown and did them in the car park, he yelled when they jabbed him, and now doesn’t trust anything about the place. The last two appointments the vet and I just sat in the garden trying to build up his trust and confidence, but not even the tastiest treat could persuade him that she wasn’t a monster. I have a lot of work to do as he has totally lost all confidence. I’m going to get other savvy people to handle him, lead him, touch him. Take him to the vet car park and just pop out for a look and a biscuit then go home again, that sort of thing. It’s very hard.
 
So, was thinking - other option is to take a proactive approach. drive to vets twice daily, start by driving in, driving out, stop down the road somewhere convenient, short walk. then stop in car park and get out, walk round, get back in again (ideally when vets closedquiet?)-then build up to walking to door and back again, then sit at door etc. this will take some work but probably most effective approach?
 
SusieT said:
So, was thinking - other option is to take a proactive approach. drive to vets twice daily, start by driving in, driving out, stop down the road somewhere convenient, short walk. then stop in car park and get out, walk round, get back in again (ideally when vets closedquiet?)-then build up to walking to door and back again, then sit at door etc. this will take some work but probably most effective approach?
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Thankyou this is probably what I’d do if I wash t pushed for time. Her last season ended at the end of June so I really need to do it soon, or wait until next year, but as someone pointed out above, the situation might be the same then.

my vets have a few branches, so I could also just get this done and then in future go to one of the other branches and start as you say, so there’s not the association to begin with.
 
There is no particular need to spay her this year, is there? I would leave any treatment that isn't essential until you have done more work on getting her calm and less stressed when she goes to the vet. If you do take her and leave her there, she may never get over it. I had a Lab, who wasn't a particular fan of the vets but not that bothered either, then she had a seizure, no-one knew why and she stayed at the vets' over the weekend. She always hated going to the surgery after that, she shook every time. She was also not best pleased when she found a vet in her kitchen! He had come out to the horses and to remove some stiches to save us a trip to the surgery. She was so bad that I, unusually, had the vet come to the house when I had her pts, which cost a fortune.
 
Is it possible for you to obtain sedative tablets from your vet for you to administer to your dog at home? My brother has a GSD whose behavior deteriorates when she is at the vet; when I brought her in to be spayed 3 years ago (my brother was ill) I was given tablets to give her the morning of the operation and she was also given an injection to keep her calm once we arrived at the clinic, subsequently everything went smoothly with the least amount of stress possible.
 
I would ask for oral sedatives that you can give at home - gabapentin (high doses) and trazodone. And then hopefully they can give the premed with you, and you can sit with her until she gets sleepy. This is what we do.
But you will need to put lots of work into ongoing desen and counter conditioning. I have people come in all the time for "good vet visits" where nothing bad happens and they get fed. Ideally 10 good vet visits for every one "bad" one. And remember that thresholds are important for dogs, so if very scared might have to start 100m away from vet clinic etc, then gradually build up. Good luck.
 
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