Vet waiting room etiquette

[Maddie Moo]

Please don’t allow your extendable lead to get so long that your dog can walk from the dog area, across the walkway creating a trip hazard by the doors and into the cat / small animal area and then get offended by people asking you to call your dog back.

Please also don’t allow your dog near my small animals, I’m clearly trying to sit as far away from you as physically possible. I don’t care of your dog is fine with rabbits, my rabbits are not fine with dogs especially when already stressed!

 

[poiuytrewq]

If you have a dog don't wait with it in the cat area!
.

When I took Arlo last week a loose dog came charging across the waiting room at his carrier
The lady had him on a lead and was in the dog area but ffs hold the bloody lead.
Luckily he’s very used to dogs but might not have been and he was so poorly that he just didn’t need it.
The receptionists had a word.

 

[HorsesRule2009]

Unfortunately I think this is today's world, people in general just think its their right to he able to do what they want when they want regardless of others.

This is them spilling into pet ownership.
How dare you/I suggest there dog can't speak to ours .

It infuriates me so much! I have a VERY nervous aggressive little terrier and am constantly trying to warn people to give us space (I try my hardest to avoid busy areas/times but not always possible) he will snap at others and even if I've warned the owners I just get back 'oh he/she is friendly' and then get annoyed that mine has snapped at theirs.

Last time I actually went to the vets (6yrs ago) the waiting room was empty so positioned myself in the furthest corner fro. The entrance and little dog either sat on my feet or under my chair.
Fune until another client enters with dog on long lead and pretty much allowed it full right to roam even my little one growling and snarling made no difference I then asked please give him space he's nervous aggressive the guy just smirked.
Well when mine had had enough he snapped at the other dog (no contact made) and the guy got annoyed at me.
Insane.

 

[TheresaW]

I use extendable leads in appropriate places. The vets is not one of them.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Monster wears a muzzle and a short lead in the waiting room to avoid any accidents. We try to stay as far away from all other pets as possible. Luckily, around here the muzzle still makes people pause (and gets a disapproving look from some vets). I get a lot of "does he bite?", I tend to answer "I don't know, he hasn't eaten in a while".
Like some of the other dogs mentioned in this thread, he "loves" small furries. He thinks they make great squeaky toys, so we stay away from them.

 

[malwhit]

I never let my dog get close to another at the vet. I am the same at the doctor, I don't get close to others in the waiting room as you never know what's wrong with them.

My pet hate in a vet's waiting room is people who let their dogs explore on extending leads whilst ignoring it Or those they let their children go around the waiting room petting or hugging other dogs

 

[maisie06]

We have had many visits to a specialist vet hospital over the last 2 years and as my dog has a lifelong condition there will be many more. It is a long appointment and we spend a lot of time in the waiting room.

She is a good dog and either lies at my feet and goes to sleep or if she is restless I keep her attention on me. I don’t want anything to happen in the waiting room to change this. She needs to be happy and willing to go. The vet thinks she is lovely, she tolerates uncomfortable examinations and is calm and friendly.

This list is based on things she has had to tolerate in the waiting room and which, with some thought from other owners, could have been prevented.

If you have an aggressive dog then do not sit where your dog has the opportunity to launch itself at every dog entering and exiting the waiting room.​

​

If your dog is fixated on another dog and growling continuously, please remove it from the waiting room.​

​

Do not assure someone that your dog is dog friendly only for it to launch itself at the other dog and try to take her face off.​

​

Do not allow your dog to reach the end of its extending lead, enabling it to stare into the face of a dog who is minding her own business. It is not polite dog behaviour.​

​

Do not stand talking, not paying attention to your dog at the end of its lead, and allow it to try and shove its snout up the jacksie of a dog who is lying peacefully at her owner’s feet.​

​

If you are the owner of a small reactive dog that’s kicking off at any dog within a 10ft radius, it’s probably best not to call across the waiting room to ask the owner of a big dog who is quietly minding her own business if her dog is aggressive and when assured she isn’t don’t think that is an invitation to stride across the waiting room, thrust your hand forward and stroke her. She looks to me for confirmation that it’s okay and neither of us gave our consent.​

​

When people and their dogs are complete assholes I take her outside even though we are not the problem. I do it for her sake as even though she does tolerate it, it’s really not very nice for her.

Some people really are class 1 A holes. One of mine is a little spicy at the vets so he's muzzled, people take one look and double check little fifi's extending rope burn inflicting device is in fact fully locked, even though he's not known to harm small dogs it doesn't hurt to let them think he will if it gives us space.

it's just pure bad manners especially as dogs could be in pain and unwell it's just not fair to have strange dogs in their face. Another good way of getting rid of people who are letting their dog too close is to loudly announce your dog has fleas/ringworm/anything else contagious!!!

 

[meggymoo]

Our vets, one side of waiting room has a very large sign hanging there "DOG WAITING AREA". The other side, a smaller area, strategically placed product shelving to screen it off, but equally large "CAT WAITING AREA" sign. I really am not sure which bits of these signs (both dog and cat owners, I have to say) the owners do not understand. Personally I wait outside, and if I stand in the right spot, I can see the vet's door open, he knows I prefer to wait outside and he signals to me to come in.

Edit to add, I too use an extendable lead, but I would like to think at the right time and place and in the right manner. The vets most certainly not being it.

 

[Unicorn]

Can I add to this please don't plonk your cat carrier down right in the face of the german shepherdy dog. Especially not the door end.

 

[meleeka]

I usually wait in the car when I take my dog. Either that or I ask for the first or last appointment of the surgery. Apart from the antisocial aspect, I’d never let my dog get too close to others, because quite frankly, you never know what contagious illness they might have. There really is no cure for stupid and some owners just don’t think about what might go wrong.

 

[SDMabel]

Don't bring you barky dogs into the waiting room ( like non-stop barking) causing great distress to many others in there , to then look at my terrier who's sat quietly and comment ' oh look mr fluffy , look how lovely and quiet that dog is, I wish you were that easy'

I snapped and replied ' yes well mr Fluffy that's because she has been trained and if she wasn't trained I wouldn't sit here deafening everyone in the room' ... 22 minutes of two small dogs barking non -stop made me a very angry individual.

I HATE people....

 

[BigRedDog]

I was once asked to leave the waiting room of the referral vets with my Lurcher. She had been kept in over night and when I went to collect her and she was brought out to me she howled hysterically (joyfully) when she saw me and wouldn’t stop. Proper hound howling.
As she had been carried in the day before unable to stand and having lost her sight the receptionist did say it was lovely to see her so happy and so loud but as there were sick dogs in the waiting room it might be better to put her in the car while I came back in and paid.

 

[Bradsmum]

Had to take our dog reactive dog for his annual booster last week. Vets don’t have a car park so we usually wait just outside away from the doorway and get called in. However last week it was tipping it down so we stepped inside, explained he had issues, found a quiet corner and he made us look like fools - he didn’t react to any dogs even the little pug who shoved its nose at him while it’s owner paid the bill. Everyone in the waiting room had a chuckle at our so well behaved pooch

 

[fidleyspromise]

I am astounded at these encounters and yet somehow not surprised.
I've never had a bad experience in the waiting room thankfully.

I do allow my dog to the end of her lead to investigate if the waiting room is empty. If there's another pet then she stays by my side. I now hope I've not annoyed someone else as my old GSD used to whine.

Our vets have staggered the chairs so there's space between each and there's a small cat area. They also have a couple hours a week specific for cat appointments.

 

[skinnydipper]

It used to be if you had a dog that wouldn't cope well in the waiting room that you waited outside. Now it seems all the dogs that can't cope go in and the folk with dogs who aren't a problem have to wait outside.

 

[9tails]

Where are all the people who think this is acceptable behaviour? Why aren't they here defending their right for Fifi to sniff at little cats/rabbits/hamsters in the name of educating their little doggikins. Who is always on an extendable lead, mooching around while the owner is having a chinwag with the disinterested receptionist.

 

[Esmae]

Vet's waiting rooms can be a nightmare. My dogs are made to sit by me and not move until called in. It drives me nuts when other folk are not respectful. Years ago my Burmese cat was sitting in her basket waiting for her booster. She never did tolerate dogs, not even mine, so when some idiot came in with a doberman on a flexi lead, and allowed it to put it's nose through the bars in the door of her basket, she acted! Whoosh! She striped his nose which split open.....blood everywhere! Doberman screamed it's head off, reversed across the waiting room at speed and sat on a JR that promptly bit it's backside and hung on! Further screaming that could have been heard in the next county! Owner of dog livid! "Your fault" we all told him. Felt for the dog, went in for a booster and went home with stiches at both ends!! My cat said "THAT'S THAT THEN!"

 

[monte1]

My vet has quite a big waiting area and screened off separate cat/small animal area as well, I take my three dogs all in together for their annual vaccinations and general check-up, they are all pretty well behaved and don't mind the vet, but they are all on short leads and expected to sit down quietly, I try to sit in the corner away from other people and keep an eye out for any problems or unruly dogs, but i do always take them back to the car then come back in to pay when we are finished.

if someone asks if their dog can say hello i just tell them mine might be reactive, which usually does the trick