Fear at the Vet

My dog Zac is terrified at the Vets surgery. It starts when we arrive and he realises where we are and he will refuse to leave the car. I have to pick him up out of the car. In the waiting room he becomes a shivering wreck and very distressed. He tries to climb on my shoulders and then usually ends up under my chair.

In the consulting room he is usually a little better. The Vet always starts by making a fuss of him and he seems a little calmer. The main problem is in the waiting room.

I have tried taking toys and treats to distract him but he is not interested. It has not been helped by the fact he has been to the vets 5 times in the last 4 months due to on-going ear problems. It is also not helped by the fact that the appointments run late. We have waited for up to an hour. He is due to go again later this month for a check up and his jabs.

Is there anything I could try? I would appreciate any advice.

How about getting the 1st appt of the day - the vet is less likely to be running late maybe?

One of my dogs was absolutely petrified of the vets. I used to pop in to let them know I was here and tell them I'd be waiting outside if they didn't mind calling me in when it was my turn.

These days you could always ask them to give you a quick buzz on your mobile if you lurked nearby but outside.

But to get the first appointment of the day is by far the best solution.

If they've been poorly and then they have all that fear and stress it isn't easy to tell whether they are feeling OK or not.

I've had a big GSD jump up on my lap and stick her face under my armpit in a vet waiting room! Sort of 'Im not here and this isn't happening' lol! The big wimp!

Isn't there a calming remedy that some people use at home to calm dogs behaviour? like the plug in things, I wonder if the similar ingredients are in something else to give before leaving?

Another alternative is home visits but £££££ I imagine.

If that distressed I agree with the others, surely the receptionist or vet could give a ring on mobile if waiting right outside?

Oh and one last thought, is it always you that goes to the vet? I wonder if the same would happen if someone else was in charge? as they say the dog picks up the owners worries

I've now got a stupid dog who will let the Vet do ANYTHING to her apart from try to administer a pill!

And a Vet who says the only dogs that bite him are min pins and chis lol!

Leave him in the car until called in? (provided he doesn't eat the car)

I would speak to the vets about this and see if they would let you do some desensitisation work. Start off by taking him there in the car, get out and do something fun in the car park (on lead for safety) just potter about the car park but don't go in. Do that for a few times until he's excited about going to the car park. Then work on getting him to the door, why not use a clicker and see if you can get him to target the door with his nose? Then build it up a bit more and get him in the door, just spend time working towards the waiting room but at no time just sitting down feeling tense, break the association of something bad happening and make it somewhere nice things happen. I'm sure the vets wouldn't mind you doing this at all.

Keeping him in the car is managing the situiation rather than solving it! Always look for a solution!

[QUOTE=Bella2012;2520934]Isn't there a calming remedy that some people use at home to calm dogs behaviour? like the plug in things, I wonder if the similar ingredients are in something else to give before leaving?

We tried this (DAP - Dog Appeasing Pheremone)total waste of money! Bought it for two months - one for upstairs, one for downstairs - had no effect whatsoever!

I like your idea Roofs of taking him to the vets and making it fun. The only problem is that it is an hours round trip to the vet. However if he needs many more visits it might be worth while. It is very distressing for both of us at the moment.

I don't think I can safely leave him in the car. There is no shade anywhere in the car park. Even in winter it can get very warm on sunny days.

As his next visit can be planned I will be able to ask for the first appointment of the day.

I was thinking about this later. He wasn't always calm in the consulting room and I have the scars to prove it. I think he is better with his new vet. She has said to always ask for her in future and she does make a fuss of him. She was quite rude about the other vets in the surgery. Strange really as one is her husband and the other is her father

I would try and get there a couple of times a week to work on it, it will make things easier for everyone in the long run and much less stressful for all involved, even if you only do it two or three times in a week it's going to help him. Much better than sedating him or trying to manage a stressed dog.