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TabithaJ
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28-02-2011, 06:13 PM

Would your dog respond like this ? Were my dog's responses that unusual...???

Just took Dex to the vet. He was great with the eye drops but then came time for his ear to be examined...

I asked the vet to use a muzzle as I know how beserk he goes when anyone tries to examine his ears. At first she was reluctant, then she did use one.

It took three of us, literally, to try and hold him still enough for the vet to get the instrument into his ear. Even with three of us, he was still battling to get away

Then the vet expressed surprise and dismay when she saw Dex 'bare his teeth' behind the muzzle. She asked if we were having any 'training'...


I responded by reminding her that when I first adopted Dex, he was baring his teeth and going to bite on a daily basis. Also I stated that yes, we are having training and it's going well....


I suppose my query here is:



Was my dog's behaviour today at the vet that unusual....???


He's always happy to go there, he's fine with everything except his ears.


Thank you for any comments
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scottyvdub
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28-02-2011, 06:21 PM
your dog wanted to flight not fight, but being held in place, the dog thought that was its only option left,
normal dog behaviour,
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Tupacs2legs
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28-02-2011, 06:24 PM
Originally Posted by scottyvdub View Post
your dog wanted to flight not fight, but being held in place, the dog thought that was its only option left,
normal dog behaviour,
yes and no

does he do the same when u go near his ears?
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labradork
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28-02-2011, 06:25 PM
Depends on the dog? some dogs are fine with the vet, other dogs get highly stressed by it and show behaviour that is generally abnormal (bearing teeth, snapping, etc.) for them in all other contexts.
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Helena54
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28-02-2011, 06:31 PM
I have a vet aggressive gsd, and she has to be muzzled when being examined by one. This morning when my vet wanted to feel her tummy, he asked me to hold on tight to the front end whilst he went behind her, and have to say, it was only as he passed her that she let out a warning growl (a gsd will always give a warning first!), but when he was doing his thing from behind her, she went very quiet in my arms. Then we had to try and look at her gums which he asked ME to life up obviously, and as he stood over her, not a peep was heard.

I've seen some police dogs going manic at the vets with their muzzles on, so, I would say no, it's not unusual. Afterall, the dog feels so vulnerable in a place it doesn't like, with all the smells related to bad experiences in the past, and on top of that, it's lost the only mechnism it has for fighting back, i.e. it's teeth behind a cage!

Why don't you do what I've done and buy one of those soft muzzles, afterall, it's only got to be on for a few minutes, and you can practice at home with it with some treats just so your dog gets used to it?

Even my dog doesn't like those plastic cage type muzzles they have at the vets, but she doesn't mind this soft one unless it's been on for more than 10 mins, then she tries to get it off!

I once had a dog (another gsd) who it took 4 of us to hold down on the floor whilst the vet looked in her ear, and yet she wasn't muzzled, but some dogs can be really funny about ears, which I'm sure yours is.

Again, if you think she is reluctant to ears being looked at, you could always practice at home, and say "ears" and gently take one and scratch it and stroke it, coz you need to be able to do that to clean them don't you. I had to do that with mine and now she's fine about her ears being cleaned or looked into, it's just that big, tall vet she doesn't like! Good luck for the future, but I'm sure he's had worse cases than yours to deal with, it's part of the course for them!
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TabithaJ
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28-02-2011, 06:33 PM
Originally Posted by Helena54 View Post
I have a vet aggressive gsd, and she has to be muzzled when being examined by one. This morning when my vet wanted to feel her tummy, he asked me to hold on tight to the front end whilst he went behind her, and have to say, it was only as he passed her that she let out a warning growl (a gsd will always give a warning first!), but when he was doing his thing from behind her, she went very quiet in my arms. Then we had to try and look at her gums which he asked ME to life up obviously, and as he stood over her, not a peep was heard.

I've seen some police dogs going manic at the vets with their muzzles on, so, I would say no, it's not unusual. Afterall, the dog feels so vulnerable in a place it doesn't like, with all the smells related to bad experiences in the past, and on top of that, it's lost the only mechnism it has for fighting back, i.e. it's teeth behind a cage!

Why don't you do what I've done and buy one of those soft muzzles, afterall, it's only got to be on for a few minutes, and you can practice at home with it with some treats just so your dog gets used to it?

Even my dog doesn't like those plastic cage type muzzles they have at the vets, but she doesn't mind this soft one unless it's been on for more than 10 mins, then she tries to get it off!

I once had a dog (another gsd) who it took 4 of us to hold down on the floor whilst the vet looked in her ear, and yet she wasn't muzzled, but some dogs can be really funny about ears, which I'm sure yours is.

Again, if you think she is reluctant to ears being looked at, you could always practice at home, and say "ears" and gently take one and scratch it and stroke it, coz you need to be able to do that to clean them don't you. I had to do that with mine and now she's fine about her ears being cleaned or looked into, it's just that big, tall vet she doesn't like! Good luck for the future, but I'm sure he's had worse cases than yours to deal with, it's part of the course for them!



Many thanks

Do you mean the muzzles made of black fabric?
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Lynn
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28-02-2011, 06:42 PM
Ollie was the same he did not use to be that way it seemed to appear as he got older. He was always muzzled and once it took three of us to hold him while the vet examined his rib.

Must say they did not know how to handle a dog. At the RVC in Potters Bar he had to be muzzled but one young girl vet and us two with Ollie muzzled and no firm holding just reassurance and his head end and she managed very well.

He was sedated when he had to stay firstly because they knew he would be stressed us having to leave, secondly he was to big to be carried and would have to be lifted onto a gurney to move him and they wanted to cause as little stress as possible and thirdly he went striaght into tests that night so was best sedated for that anyway.

For the 10 days he was there he was only muzzled that night. The neurologist put an elizabethan collar on him the next day she managed and the vet nurses managed to keep away from his teeth and they gained his trust very quickly by day 3 or 4 he needed nothing they could go in and out of his kennel and groom him and bath him without muzzle or collar. Sensible vets who understand dogs and fear aggression when they see it and know exactly how to cope and deal with it. Nadia did have scars and not one of them from Ollie he never laid a tooth on them. He always warned first. In the end he overcame his fear with them and grew to love them.

Your dog was only doing what a frightened animal will do when worried and feeling cornered and threatened.
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k9paw
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28-02-2011, 06:43 PM
I don't think it was unusual at all, if a dog has been or is fractious? uncomfortable with ears,paws etc being touched is trying to find a way for them to understand it's ok n not be frightened by it. Even just everyday quiet times and slowly touching/stroking n turning into something pleasurable/rewarding? Overcoming fear is a very big thing but dogs can't always tell us in the way another human can. Hope Dex will be ok n you too, if he has some kind of pain or problem with his ears(in past or now) it might make him react differently also(just a thought) but vet would have seen if managed to get good look? Sorry if talking rubbish x
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ClaireandDaisy
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28-02-2011, 07:16 PM
You know - if I were being held down while someone probed a sensitive area, I`d probably bare my teeth too.
The vet was right not to want to use a muzzle. If a muzzle had not been used you would not have dreamed of forcibly restraining your dog. He must have been terrified.
I expect after this experience you`ll need to retrain him to accept being at the Vet. Try some short visits where nothing is done - pop in for a chat etc.
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Bitkin
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28-02-2011, 09:58 PM
I am not sure if this helps, but our last dog had to have her ears examined shortly after we brought her home from the rescue centre. She fought tooth and nail............sedative given. Still fought tooth and nail.............more sedative given. No luck, those ears were NOT going to be looked at. In the end, she had to have a general anaesthetic and it turned out that the poor thing had a ruptured eardrum amongst other things, so no wonder she didn't want people poking around in there.

Our present little dog was stung on his ear, and there was no way on this earth that he was going to allow the vet to check it out. A muzzle only made matters worse, because he panicked.

So no.....your dog is not unusual, and to my mind is exhibiting sensible behaviour!!! If a sensitive area is made even more sensitive by a problem, then you don't want it prodded and poked. Not that this helps much.
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