Vet Visit Dread

Vent

Today I have to take my reactive dog to the vet. We had an appointment to get him neutered last month and they found a tick on him and he had an elevated temp. Now I have to bring him in for a blood test to rule out tickborn illness. My vet thinks the elevated temp was due to anxiety.

I'm not worried about the diagnosis today. I'm dreading the looks and judgement of everyone at the vet office. Normally I don't care what other people think, but being in an a closed space with multiple people passing judgement as we walk by is too much. I have to go to a different office for the blood test so I'm going to have to explain to the front desk why I'm not bringing him into the lobby and will bring him in once they're ready for us.

It breaks my heart that people are going to be questioning our sanity as we bring this very loud barking german shepherd in. They don't see how much work we've put into him. They don't see how he melts into us for cuddles at home. They don't see that when I'm knitting he'll wiggle onto my lap and will not stop wiggling until I wrap both arms around him and give him kisses. He's scared and anxious and thinks everything is out to get him. He isn't a vicious monster. I wish they could see that.

in reactivedogsby imherenowiguess

96%

23d

gb2ab

23d

honestly, don't even worry about it. i used to be a tech and the only time judgement is passed is when an owner has an absolutely neurotic dog, and acts like its totally normal and cute. if you acknowledge your dogs faults and try to make light of it, its no big deal. honestly, there definitely a dog that is 1000x worse than yours. and they deal with this kinda thing all the time. its no big deal to ask to wait in the car. we do it all the time!

fwiw - i also have a GSD who is a complete asshole at the vet's office but an absolute angel at home with us. my husband walks him thru the lobby as the dog manically barks, and i profusely apologize to everyone. and then we all laugh about it.

his last visit he needed an ear cleaning, which in the past he needed sedated for. just doesn't hold still and gets snappy if you dig in his ears. this time, a different vet spent 20 mins cleaning his ears, BY HERSELF WITHOUT A MUZZLE. which tells me she knows we aren't shitty owners and that he's just scared, not a bad dog. the vet staff is more aware of the nuances of bad behavior than you think!

imherenowiguess

23d

Thank you. It went pretty good, although they did have to take him to another exam room today away from my husband (his chosen person) to be able to work with him. But they said he did great once in a separate room and they were able to update his vaccines and draw all the blood they needed.

gb2ab

23d

oh yea i know the feeling! i always have them take my dog in the back if they have to do anything. because he get so much more upset if he's in the room with us having stuff done.

imo, thats pretty standard for GSD's thou. when i worked in clinics, even the really well behaved ones could be little psycho with owners present. but perfectly fine once they are out of sight. so we really encouraged all GSD's owners to let us go to the treatment area with the dog.

good that it went well thou!

girlinthegoldenboots

23d

My dog also has to be taken to a separate room but once they take him he does pretty good!

Awkward_bi

22d

I’m glad it went well! My reactive baby always did better without us there. They were so patient with him. We muzzled him just in case, and they took him in through the back. They’re used to dogs with troubles, and just want to help them. No judgement. We did have one vet who kept sticking her face in his face, and we had to tell her a couple of times before we asked for someone else. Other than that, he always had good experiences at the vet’s.

hotsauce_dog

23d

Call your vet ahead to make arrangements! They are totally understanding. My reactive boy doesn't do well in waiting rooms at the vet. We call when we get there and when they have a room ready, they let us in through the side door so we can avoid walking through a waiting room full of dogs. All I had to do was tell them that my dog is reactive and they understood. Come prepared with muzzle, treats, whatever you need to bring for your dog. They can also prescribe anxiety meds to administer prior to arriving at the vet in the future if your dog gets anxious at the exam.

SudoSire

23d

I know some people can be judgy, but try not to sweat it. Most vets have seen everything, and no big deal to keep your dog comfortable til it’s time to go in. I wish more people would do that when possible honestly. Less stress and crowds.

hairlikepennies

23d

I was a vet tech for a while and trust me, the self aware owner who sets the animals and the staff up for success were the favorites. Even if the dog was hard to deal with, it was so much better than the owners who pretended their dog was perfect or who wouldn’t let us do something like muzzle.

I come with my own muzzle for my dog, a speech and warnings. Much easier to deal with than letting people be unprepared and they prefer that.

Status_Lion4303

23d

I work as a vet tech and honestly I never pass judgment when I encounter a nervous/fearful dog that is just reacting out of fear. The vet is a scary place even for the most neutral dogs. As long as the owners are aware and prepare with a muzzle/let staff know thats all we can ask for.

Its the owners who refuse to muzzle their dogs and turn a blind eye to their dogs behavior and in result put the staff in danger. Those are the ones that get the most judgment from the staff. I know some people in the waiting room or some people that have breed biases might still judge but just know you’re doing the right thing and your best and thats all you can do!

SimoneSaysAAAH

23d

Maybe this wont help now but maybe in the futute. My dog isn't very vocal but he's very clearly anxious and can get nippy when needles happen.

I talked to my fear free vet and we are now making vet visits twice monthly, where we go into the exam room, he gets felt up and sniffs a syringe or two, and then we go home.

Parking in the lobby or in the exam room just isn't enough to desensitize him, so this is our compromise. I'm very excited to start!!

They are only charging me like 17 bucks a visit to, so it's very nice.

SweatyPressure3783

23d

When scheduling my dogs appointments, I let them know he’s dog reactive so they know, and they let us do curbside appts (we wait in the car until they’re ready to see him). Also, when I check-in for his appt, I let them know again he’s reactive. He’s never bit anyone at the vet but I also put a muzzle on him for peace of mind. The vet and techs have always been so great and understanding about it. They always give me reassurance that he does well in his appts. I also don’t go into the actual appts. I have read and been told by vets also that a lot of dogs act better when their owner isn’t there. I’m already a nervous stressed out wreck that staying in the car is for the best. He would probably react off my energy.

Upstairs-Ad-2844

23d

I did that at my recent vet visit. I walked in and said my dog gets nervous around other dogs so she's out in the car. They were totally understanding and came out and called us in when they were ready.

walkinwater

23d

Call the vet in advance. Sometimes they'll be able to clear the lobby for you or have you go through a different entrance.

Melodic_Beach_4035

22d

I felt the same way with my girl but got over it pretty quickly after seeing how professionally the staff from the front desk to the vet herself handed her. I had to remind myself that they’ve seen it all and are trained in handling reactive dogs; mine can’t be the first one to have ever walked through the doors. At the beginning, even on gabapentin and trazadone, my girl used to bark THE ENTIRE VISIT. I had to almost drag/carry her in and then she’d sit in the room with me and bark the entire time. I still give her the meds but now she doesn’t make a peep the entire time, even when someone knocks on the door! She has built up trust with the vet and some of the techs there and actually even lets the vet examine her now and each visit gets easier. Every time I bring her in (every 4-6 weeks for an allergy shot), her vet proudly comments on how far she’s come.

It will get better and just trust in that the staff knows what they’re doing. Follow their lead but don’t be afraid to advocate for your dog since you know him best. Also don’t be afraid to switch vets if needed. The first vet we had made no effort to try to make my dog comfortable; she sat on her chair and talked at me the whole time while my girl went apeshit. I stayed with the same hospital but switched vets and found an amazing one whose dog is similar to mine. She knows to enter the room slowly, speak softly, gets down on my dog’s level, and has always been cautious about not trying to push her too far when she’s not ready.

It’s so hard but it will get better! And I think my increased calm has helped my girl feel better too and the cycle just continues that way. Good luck!

ThatLittleFoxx

22d

Hey, honestly anytime ive seen a dog FREAKING out at the vet, I just think they're scared. Even before I knew what a reactive dog was, I always gave these guys a pass at the vet because they don't know any better and they're scared. If a dog is calm? Cool, but I've never judged a dog at the vet because it's a scary place for some of them. If anything people are probably giving you and your dog more slack than they would in any other setting, so don't worry friend it will be OK:)

Aware_Welcome_8866

23d

I call vet when I arrive, wait in car until they call and tell me a room is ready, and I walk right into the room. They take my card when the appt. is done and bring me the receipt to sign. I never go into the waiting area. Hoping your vet will accommodate you in the same way if you so choose.

EnergyTeach

22d

We found a vet that is mobile. — there are several franchises out there that might be in your area. Our dog is much less reactive in his own environment. The vet also prescribed a ‘cocktail’ of medicine that all but puts him under so he is quite easy to work with.

olympicpaint

22d

As someone who works at a vet hospital with a reactive dog, I sympathize with people like you to my bones.

You’d be surprised how much vet staff understand. We’ve seen a lot of shit.

You are doing your best. You aren’t entitled to prove to people the extent you’ve done to manage this. What you’ve done is enough to show someone like me you’re a responsible pet owner.