Shocked!!

claire_88 · #1 12-07-11, 04:24 PM

My boy has had to go to the vets alot recently with his weight, and hes doing well! Lost 5kg in 2 months. Thats the good part, he has always loved cuddles and allows the vet to examine him with no worries or aggression in all his 8 years. However........(this is the worrying part) last week he had the unfortunate experience of emptying his anul gland, the vet did this but Titon went crazy, barking and snapping inches from the vets face! I calmed him down and put this down to him being in pain and being frightened. Today we went to weigh him and check his skin. He was calm, sitting and seemed relaxed. The vet came over to check his chest, i was holding his head up so the vet had a better view, no problems for the first 2 minutes or so of examination then bam he lashed out and bit him!!! I was mortified! This wasn't a strike from pain because i touch the area twice a day when i'm rubbing cream on him and he's good as gold in-fact he loves the attention..... He was obviously frightened but what i don't want is for this fear to become a regular thing and i don't want anyone getting hurt by it. Is there anything i can do to prevent this from happening again??

Tedsmum · #2 12-07-11, 04:29 PM

The vets is the only time my boy will show real aggression towards anyone, and he started to do it before he had ever had any treatment or nasty associations with the place.
I tried to get the vet to feed him treats and have taken him in for a visit and no treatement several times but I am afraid nothing seems to take the fear out of the place for him.
I now muzzle him every time we go to the vets as it is the only safe way for everyone.
You could try the above tricks but the chances are he has learnt to hate the vet and I would think prevention is now your best option. x

claire_88 · #3 12-07-11, 05:05 PM

He has worn a muzzle before and lets me put it on so that would be no problem, but he still gets restless when the vet approaches him, and with him being such a blg lad when he gets stubborn he gets stubborn! and there is little i can do to get him to listen and calm down, he just panics...... its frustrating because under normal circumstances his ability to listen to commands is brilliant.

Thankyou for your input i will also try the treat trick, but like you said, if he has it set in his mind that he doesn't like the place i guess there will be no other options.

claire_88 · #4 12-07-11, 05:07 PM

Sorry don't know why that went on twice!

kita · #5 12-07-11, 05:11 PM

I muzzle all my dogs when going to the vet. It allows the vet to relax and do their job rather than worry about if the dog is going to bite them.

There was once when I could not muzzle one of my GSD's as she had had a fight with her sister and had a lump missing out of the side of her cheek. The vet needed to stitch it and it would have been underneath the muzzle. My bitch sat there perfectly through the stitching - right up until the vet had finished the last stitch and stood up to move away, then she exploded!!!!! The poor vet jumped about two foot in the air!!!

It is best to train the dog to be muzzled at 'normal' times, so that they don't just associate it with the vet.

I always use the plastic mesh type muzzle, so that they can pant and you can feed them treats through it.

Sue

claire_88 · #6 12-07-11, 05:24 PM

I will do that from now on as unfortunately we have a few more visits to go.....
The last thing i want is a label stuck on him as a 'dangerous dog' because he isn't! He is an extremely frightened one and thats horrible to see.
New muzzle on the shopping list tomorrow morning then! :P
xx

Tedsmum · #7 12-07-11, 05:34 PM

I really do know exactly what you mean as my dog is also a big pussy cat at home and will let me do absolutely anything to him. But at the vets he will not listen at all and panic takes over. When he was neutered we took him back for a check up and three of us could not get him to lie down! At home I bathed his wound and inspected it every day.
A dog does not know he cant bite through a muzzle, he doesn't understand why it is there. If he is trained to it before he gets to the vets, it will be just another thing he learns to accept. You will relax more knowing that he cannot bite anyone and the vet will relax for the same reasons. This means that your tension will not add to the stress your dog is already feeling.
I am convinced there is a feramone or scent that dogs pick up from other dogs' urine etc. that causes the fear. I think they can smell the fear of others when they enter the vets. We have to leave ours in the car until he is called in or he gets in such a state he is nearly hysterical.

claire_88 · #8 12-07-11, 06:41 PM

I guess it is the only defence they have, by the way your boy looks stunning and very comfortable on the sofa ha they always find the best seats

xx

J&J · #9 12-07-11, 07:05 PM

It's the vets seem that gets them, they can smell the wonded and sick animals and it puts them on edge!

Claire is this the first time that the vet as had to do a procedure that was particularly painful that's been done by any Vet to Titon? If it has then it's your likely explination, he wouldn't of known or be able to see what the vet was doing, only hurting him so he lashed out to stop himself being hurt.

Next time you'll in the Vets he's thinks eeek, last time I had normal examination then he hurt me, so when the point came where Titon couldn't see what the Vet was doing, Titon gone, he ain't hurting me this time I getting in there before he does

It may be given time and he realises that vet won't hurt him, he settle down again... But alas it better to use a muzzle until you sure he's totally forgiven the vet..

Never trained any of my dogs to wear muzzles so they can go to the vets, never had any problems with vets handling any of my dogs. I would however allow a vet to put a muzzle on them if they felt there was a need to or they were just being a wooze about it!

Shalln't forget Ellie reaction when she was spayed, she'd had always been very good at the Vets, lapping up the fussing and treats... Did think that when she was spayed it would change her viewpoint of the vets, but it hasn't she posed no probs at all, when we took her back to have her post op check and her stitches out, she obliged the nurse before being asked, just rolled on her back showing her belly for inspection, and then for her stitches to come out

kita · #10 12-07-11, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tedsmum

I am convinced there is a feramone or scent that dogs pick up from other dogs' urine etc. that causes the fear. I think they can smell the fear of others when they enter the vets. We have to leave ours in the car until he is called in or he gets in such a state he is nearly hysterical.

My last dog (Anatolian) was absolutely petrified of the vets. He never had a bad experience at the vets, I owned him from just over 6 weeks old so I know that for a fact. He had lots of training and nothing else ever scared him. None of my other dogs have ever had this fear.

You could walk him up to the door of a strange vets that he had never been to before and the split second that you opened the door and his nose went in the door that was it!!! You were dragged backwards as far away as possible!!

The last time I managed to get him in the vets he worked himself into such a state hyperventilating that he actually collapsed and it took me two hours back at home for him to come round properly. In total he only ever went in less than 10 times in his lifetime - luckily he was a healthy dog all his life.

There was obviously something he could sense/smell that he was really afraid of.

I never did manage to overcome it.

Sue