Maintaining great veterinary care for my pets is very important to me. However, having an overly excitable and dog-aggressive dog can make a trip to the vet a stressful experience for both parties.
Before I started my career in the veterinary field, our “routine” veterinary visits were exhausting for the both of us. My 75 pound pit bull, Dexter, would become over-stimulated and unresponsive to commands as soon as we would enter the lobby; even weighing him was out of the question. We would immediately be ushered into an exam room where he would continuously bark until the veterinary technician or veterinarian entered the room. I would have to help restrain Dexter for his exam, and services were usually done as quickly as possible. By the end of these visits, I was usually sweating and visibly embarrassed.
Since entering the veterinary field and becoming a veterinary technician at Shiloh, I have learned many different techniques to help make our visits to the vet a much less stressful experience for everyone involved.
The first tool that I use to make our trip less stressful starts before we even get into the car. I give Dexter a prescribed dose of a pre-visit pharmaceutical called Trazodone, which has a mild sedative effect but does not knock him out. I give this an hour before we leave so that the medication will have taken effect before we reach the vet.
Once we have arrived, I call the front desk to let them know that we are there, and they let me know if the lobby is clear to minimize stimulating interactions. For Dexter, being seen in the treatment area during low-traffic times as opposed to being seen in an enclosed exam room is a better option.
During the exam and other services, I feed him peanut butter, which is a welcomed distraction. Our veterinary visits have become considerably less stressful, and it makes me a happy dog mom to see his tail wagging in place of his previous signs of fear and stress.
Working with many different clients and pets has shown me that this can be a familiar scenario for many pet owners, but it does not have to be a permanent one. There are many approaches and techniques that can be used to minimize and reduce stress. Different examples are medications, pheromones, treats, and low-traffic appointment times. Start a conversation with your veterinarian to identify the specific tools that will best suit your pet. For Dexter and me, a little pre-planning and communication with the veterinary staff has turned a stressful situation into an enjoyable experience.
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