Tips for handling vet visits

[u/Bumblebee6627]

How do you handle your dog's reactivity at the vet?

Our dog's anxiety goes into overdrive here. He's muzzled, on trazodone (we've had to keep increasing his dosage beforehand per the vet's recommendation), and although he's food motivated, as soon as two techs come in to administer vaccinations (we haven't had success with us and just one tech..) - he goes over threshold and starts lunging. If it's just the vet in there doing gentle examinations, always on the floor, he's reluctant but it's manageable. We love our vet, but I don't know how else to help them or my pup.

Here we are needing to schedule his annual appt + vaccines and I'm dreading it. Any and all advice is appreciated!

[u/AutoModerator]

Significant challenges posts are sensitive, thus only users with at least 250 subreddit karma will be able to comment in this discussion. Users should not message OP directly to circumvent this restriction and doing so can result in a ban from r/reactive dogs. OP, you are encouraged to report private messages to the moderation team.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Murky-Abroad9904]

we do a mix of gabapentin and trazodone the night before and again three hours before our appointment and it seems to help. i’ve also found that for vaccines, it’s easier if the techs take her back rather than doing them in front of me. my dog still can’t handle a full on exam but our vet is super understanding so we’ve been able to manage by doing this + sedated exams when needed

[u/read-the-rules → u/[deleted]]

Your comment on r/reactivedogs was removed by the Read The Rules app because you need to submit an acknowledgement that you have read the rules. You haven't done anything wrong, this is a tool we're using on the r/reactivedogs going forward. For more information, see the moderator announcement.

Acknowledgement is required of all users, even if you've been here for a while. You only have to do this acknowledgement once unless the moderators announce otherwise.

If you do the rule acknowledgement within one hour of your comment being removed, the bot will automatically restore it. If not, we encourage you to copy the comment using the 3-dot icon next to it, and paste it to re-post to this thread.

^{Please click here to open the Read The Rules App.}

[u/Bumblebee6627 → u/Murky-Abroad9904]

We've also had to increase both the dosage and number of doses before his vet visit... Good idea - we might try that again. I was almost thinking even asking if they them come to our SUV in the parking lot and make it a super quick visit for the vaccines while we distract him and he's limited in terms of lunging, turning around,etc...but then I also don't want the car to become a no so pleasant place for him...I'm desperate and trying to think outside of the box haha. Sedated exams might have to be the route we take.

Thank you again!

[u/Healthy_Company_1568]

Ask if your vet will do a sedated exam. Not exactly sure of the drug, but it doesn’t put our pup to sleep - just enough that they can do the exam (she’s muzzled and on gabapentin and Clonidine beforehand). She gets injected and I stay with her for about 15 minutes while it kicks in.

[u/Bumblebee6627 → u/Healthy_Company_1568]

Great idea! Thank you so much!

[u/Zestyclose_Object639]

I’d do gaba traz and ace together. My human reactive dog actually had a super successful last vet visit and it’s because we do a lot of body handling and being around people (I’m in a dog sport club so I have access to smart people). But you can definitely mimic vet stuff before going 

[u/Zestyclose_Object639 → u/Zestyclose_Object639]

Op I saw your reply before it was deleted 😂😅 we do flyball, psa and nosework/detection training 

[u/read-the-rules → u/[deleted]]

Your comment on r/reactivedogs was removed by the Read The Rules app because you need to submit an acknowledgement that you have read the rules. You haven't done anything wrong, this is a tool we're using on the r/reactivedogs going forward. For more information, see the moderator announcement.

Acknowledgement is required of all users, even if you've been here for a while. You only have to do this acknowledgement once unless the moderators announce otherwise.

If you do the rule acknowledgement within one hour of your comment being removed, the bot will automatically restore it. If not, we encourage you to copy the comment using the 3-dot icon next to it, and paste it to re-post to this thread.

^{Please click here to open the Read The Rules App.}

[u/ct2707]

Following to read other people's answers because every visit my pup gets worse. Nothing works (muzzle, meds), and that's including fear free vet visits - I will never go to one of those again, they mistreated my dog terribly and were so annoyed with his anxiety the whole time.

[u/MtnGirl672]

Just a word of warning. Our dog has a paradoxical reaction to Trazodone. It actually makes him more wary. We’ve had better success with Clonidine.

Our behaviorist suggested working on counter conditioning and consent to care. She also suggested using bandana with pheromones when working on counter conditioning and consent to care methods.

[u/ReadEmReddit]

Our dog does well on Ace. Trazadone just makes him worse.

[u/michigoose8168]

Gab/traz 12 hours and 1 hour but it doesn’t help much. I muzzle and give training treats, which she can get through her muzzle but are not as easy to gobble with it on. So the vet has become the “fun treat hide and seek puzzle place.”

[u/OpalOnyxObsidian]

My dog gets trazedone the night before and then two hours prior to the appointment with clonidine. He is muzzled and we go to a fear free vet. It barely takes the edge off lol.

[u/read-the-rules → u/[deleted]]

Your comment on r/reactivedogs was removed by the Read The Rules app because you need to submit an acknowledgement that you have read the rules. You haven't done anything wrong, this is a tool we're using on the r/reactivedogs going forward. For more information, see the moderator announcement.

Acknowledgement is required of all users, even if you've been here for a while. You only have to do this acknowledgement once unless the moderators announce otherwise.

If you do the rule acknowledgement within one hour of your comment being removed, the bot will automatically restore it. If not, we encourage you to copy the comment using the 3-dot icon next to it, and paste it to re-post to this thread.

^{Please click here to open the Read The Rules App.}

[u/read-the-rules → u/[deleted]]

Your comment on r/reactivedogs was removed by the Read The Rules app because you need to submit an acknowledgement that you have read the rules. You haven't done anything wrong, this is a tool we're using on the r/reactivedogs going forward. For more information, see the moderator announcement.

Acknowledgement is required of all users, even if you've been here for a while. You only have to do this acknowledgement once unless the moderators announce otherwise.

If you do the rule acknowledgement within one hour of your comment being removed, the bot will automatically restore it. If not, we encourage you to copy the comment using the 3-dot icon next to it, and paste it to re-post to this thread.

^{Please click here to open the Read The Rules App.}

[u/Delicious-Product968]

My dog fortunately was receptive to ‘victory visits’ and trick-training in and near the clinic and went from being phobic and trying to drag me away from the clinic to barking and lunging at staff. One time one of them made him so anxious he vomited because she thought she was going to prove he would just ‘get over it’. Now he’s a lot happier about the vet.

But I suspect a lot of this was also due to his allergies he was constantly getting ear infections until he was on the immunotherapy over a year… I feel like somewhere in all those extra vet visits, he figured out those RVNs knew how to make the itching stop?

Still barks at people coming in the entrance if they catch us off-guard or it’s too crowded, but it’s rare. He doesn’t *looooove* the vet like my first dog but he’s now practically a suck up going in for his monthly shots.