vet visit Archives - Smart Dog University

The Results are In! Schooner’s Veterinary Visit…

July 29, 2016

Schooner’s Veterinary Visit

Not long after we brought Schooner back home (he was gone at service dog training camp for 15 months), I took him on a field trip to our veterinarian. At that visit, I realized that Schoons was a little scared at the vet. He didn’t want to wag his tail, he stayed away from anyone who even just wanted to pet him, and was generally uncomfortable at that first visit. That was a year ago. In the last article, I detailed our “dry run,” where Schooner accompanied Nemo to a veterinary visit. Schoons got to hang out, eat some food, and get some lovin’ — and he did great!

The Real Deal

While I was happy that Schooner did great in the vet exam, I was still a little worried about what would happen when the veterinarian and the technicians focused on him, instead of on Nemo. Our appointment was just a few days after that dry run, so I was hopeful that Schooner would do alright. This veterinary visit was going to include a comprehensive exam, a vaccination, blood draw (for heartworm test), and a look at a tricky spot on Schooner’s paw. That’s a fairly tall order for any dog, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little apprehensive as we walked in.

A Stable Pony

dog training, clicker, dog obedience, scared dog, dog scared at vet, dog bit vet, positive training, positive reinforcement, Smart Dog, Laurie Luck, Mt. Airy — Nemo is a “stable pony” for Schooner

Because Schooner did so well when he accompanied Nemo a few days earlier, I thought “Why not take Nemo again?” In the horse world, the primary task of a lead pony is to help a racehorse with its training, both in practice and on the day of a race. So Nemo was our stable pony for the veterinary visit. Nemo’s generally always a happy camper, even more so if there are people who will love on him and give him treats. My hope was that Schoons would go in thinking “Oh, nice. We just did this very same thing and it wasn’t so bad.” Nemo led the way into the exam room, asking anyone who would listen to feed him treats, and [yahoo!] Schooner followed suit: “Hey, I want a treat, too, please!”

Change Up the Order

Normally, the technician gets the vitals of the dog: pulse, temperature, respiration rate, checks teeth, etc. I asked our technician if she could first visit with Schooner for a minute, just feeding him treats (and Nemo, too, of course) and hang out with us casually. That worked great, Schooner’s tail was wagging as much as Nemo’s. When it was time for her to use her stethoscope, she showed it to him and let him sniff it — also a big help. Because the temperature taking is a little, um, invasive, I asked if we could wait and do that one at the end (hahaha). Not a problem, we could go in any order, she said.

What Matters Most?

The blood draw was the most important piece of that veterinary visit, so I requested that we get that done first. I didn’t want to do all the other stuff to him which might put him in an agitated state, and then try to get the blood draw. The heartworm test was the highest priority, so we jumped to that one first. If that went well, we could then continue on, but if it stressed him out too much, I could easily leave then and would still have gotten a lot accomplished.

One Step at a Time

Another technician came in to assist with the blood draw and we took a minute to let Schooner sniff and investigate (and eat treats!) before proceeding. They allowed Schooner to be in any position he preferred, saying they could work around his comfort. [This is huge for a wary, timid, or fearful dog!] I was feeding treats to Schoons the entire time. They were efficient and the whole blood draw was over seemingly before it even started. [Another bonus!]

The blood draw went so well — it didn’t seem to throw Schooner much at all. Onward with the rest of the veterinary visit! The veterinarian came in, sat on the floor, and fed both dogs treats while he let Schooner approach and investigate. As he was looking at me and somewhat ignoring Schooner, he started to pet him and just get his hands on Schoons in a casual, non-veterinary exam kind of way. Having Nemo there didn’t make things easier for the veterinarian or the technicians (or me), but it did make it easier for Schooner because we could talk to and feed Nemo and let Schooner sidle up at his own pace. Every step of the way, I could see that Schooner seemed a little less concerned when he saw Nemo pushing his way into the scene.

vet visit, scared dog, dog training, dog obedience, positive, clicker, Smart Dog, Laurie, Frederick, Luck, dog trainer — Investigating is important.

Our veterinarian was able to conduct a full exam on Schooner, including looking into his ears, eyes, mouth, and take a look at that pesky foot. It was a small sore spot on his foot, but because it’d been there for several months, our veterinarian wanted to take a closer look and see what was going on. While still sitting on the floor (and Schoons standing), he got a scraping and put it under the microscope. Bacteria, yuk. Schooner’s on a topical antibiotic for awhile to help eliminate it now.

The very last step was a vaccination. That’s where Schooner said, “Uh, I’m done now, right?” When he saw the technician come in again, I saw his first real avoidance behavior. This was a quick vaccination, easy to give, so I was able to feed Schooner while it went right in with hardly a flinch from the big dog.

Easy In, Easy Out

Because I had almost 250 pounds of dog at the end of the leashes, I asked if I could check out from right there in the exam room, instead of holding two dogs in the lobby dodging other people and pets. Both Schoons and Nemo are friendly to other dogs and people, it was one less thing to distract me. I did all the paperwork and transactions from the comfort of the exam room and then we breezed right on out when we were done. Couldn’t have been smoother!

With the great veterinarian and staff, that was the best veterinary visit I could hope for. I joked with Dr. Cook: “Who’d have thought? Training to the rescue!” We had a good laugh and appreciated the value of training to keep veterinary visits stress- and fear-free.

Talk with your veterinarian — see if some of the options I used with Schooner might also be available at your dog’s veterinary hospital:

practice visits (first alone, then with a technician)
accompanied by another dog
re-order the usual process to best fit the dog
eliminate non-essential things (like getting the dog’s temperature, for instance)
take a little extra time to feed treats and “make nice”
veterinarian and technicians on the floor with the dog
set priorities to get the most important thing done up front, even if it might be last in the typical order
paying from the exam room

Talk back! What has worked for you and your dog at the vet? Share your ideas in the comments!

Field Trip Friday: Stress Free Veterinary Visits

June 26, 2015

Stress Free Veterinary Visits

Schooner was great at the veterinary hospital when he was a young dog, but he was gone for 15 months at service dog graduate school — we have no way of knowing if his veterinary experiences were good while he was away, so today was Field Trip Friday! We went to the veterinary office just to hang out and have some fun at the veterinary hospital without any time constraints.

Good associations

It’s important to spend a little bit of time convincing your dog that the veterinary hospital, the technicians, and the veterinarians are cool, to-be-trusted people. There’s really only one way to do that: spend time at the veterinary hospital making good associations.

Why it’s important your dog be comfortable at the vet

The better exam your dog receives, the easier it is for the veterinarian to diagnose and treat your dog. Dogs that are easier to examine can get a more thorough examination than those dogs who are wiggly, afraid, or skittish. If your dog is so afraid or stressed out that he can’t be examined or treated, a sedative may need to be administered. This means extra time at the appointment, which often leads to extra cost — not to mention a less than ideal way to give a veterinary exam to a dog. When your dog is relaxed, you will also be relaxed. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

How to do it

It can be as easy as going to the veterinarian when you don’t need anything. We have a veterinary visit scheduled next week. Because it’s been a couple years since Schooner has been to this hospital and because I have no way of knowing what his veterinary experiences were while he was gone, I took Schoons to the hospital this morning to just hang out and get acquainted with the place.

Here’s what we had with us:

mat (for “settle on your mat” exercises
clicker (naturally!)
treats (chopped summer sausage and colby jack cheese)

We didn’t have a timeline and we didn’t have any objectives (other than to have fun). I put the mat on the floor which immediately gave Schooner an idea where to hang out. I did some quick and easy “tricks” with him: sit, touch my hand with his nose, “look at me” game. He was really excited to hear the click and get the cheese or sausage. You could see the lightbulb turn on for him: “Oh! We’re going to play the clicker game? Ok, go! Tell me what to do!” He wasn’t worried about the three other dogs in the waiting room, the bird in the cage, or the wandering child who I don’t think could quite believe that dogs came that big.

The difference between “I’m not sure what’s going on here” to “I know exactly what to expect from you,” was immediately apparent in Schooner’s face when I put that mat on the floor and began working with him. It’s something I know will happen, but it doesn’t diminish my awe every time I see it. We practiced some basic “settle and relax” behaviors, and once he was settled in, I clicked him for being curious and polite.

When the hospital staff had an extra minute, they stopped by to say hello, feed some goodies, and then go about their duties. It was quite a low-key, “nothing happening here except fun” kind of visit. An exam room opened up and I asked if we could go in to practice in there, as well, seeing as how that’d be where all the action will be at his appointment on Monday. He got to do all that sniffing and exploring on his own and at his own pace. He got to really check everything out and seemed to be quite mesmerized with all the things he investigated.

We’ll be going to the vet “for nothing” some more, I’m sure. It’s a bit of time out of my day, but it sure will help Schooner feel better about his future vet visits! And in the end, a calm and comfortable dog is the best patient (which makes for a calm and comfortable ME)!

Bark at us: what have you done to help your dog enjoy his veterinary visits?

Great Treats Can Help Your Dog Through A Vet Appointment

October 28, 2013

We’re headed to the veterinarian today for a quick look at a ridiculous wart between Schooner’s toes. It’s been bothering him quite a bit — and bleeding if he gets rambunctious. He’s 10 months old, rambunctious happens on a daily basis. And unfortunately, due to the wart, blood on the floor is now also happening on a daily basis. Ew. Ow.

I fully anticipate Schooner to resist a paw examination at the veterinary hospital. I’ve been worrying him all weekend, checking on the wart, looking at it from every angle, and generally poking him constantly.

For a smooth examination, we’re going to need “the big guns” when it comes to treat choices. Only the best is going to do — he’ll already excited to be in a new place, to meet new people, and then we’ll be poking and prodding. He’ll be raring to go and I’ll need him to stand still — for awhile — so the veterinarian can get a good look at his paw.

I’ve chopped up some leftover ham, have some soft cat food ready, and will even bring some cooked bacon to help Schooner through the visit. The food can act as both a distractor “Ooh! Schooner! Look at this bacon up here!” so the vet can get down and look at the foot without having his slobber into her hair. It can also be used as a reward each time he allows her to touch his foot.

Regular dog food won’t work in this situation. Nor will anything crunchy or hard. These treats need to be delicious — think people-food — and easy to swallow (with minimal chewing). The tastier the better!

Bringing food to every veterinary visit is a good idea. We start all our puppies with delish treats when they go to the veterinarian, even if it’s just for a quick hello to meet the technicians and staff. The more positive associations you can create in your dog’s head that correspond with the veterinary hospital, the easier it’ll be for the veterinarian and her technicians to examine and treat your dog.

Your turn: What’s your dog’s favorite “human food?” Do you give your dog a special treat when you take him (her) to the vet? Share your strategies below in the comments!

Happy Dogs, Happy Veterinarians

January 13, 2012

I took little Miss Caysun to the vet today to get her up-to-date on some vaccines. It was going to be a quick in-and-out visit — shots and then we'd hit the door. As usual, things don't go as planned. The shots went ok, don't get me wrong. But I mentioned, in passing, "she's got a little bit of mange on her nose," the veterinarian took a look and immediately said "that's not mange."

What? Of course it's mange. Mange is easy. Mange is common. Mange requires little treatment. It's got to be mange.

Nope, he said, mange isn't raised like that.

Crud. Which is funny because that's both what I thought and what her nose looks like.

Because I have the best veterinarians in the world, they made a little time for me in the schedule (I didn't need an appointment to get the vaccinations, since we'd just been in the week before for a wellness check and forgot to get the updated vaccinations…). And they had to do a little needle aspirate in her nose to see what's doin'.

I say that as if it was no big deal: just a little needle aspirate. That's because it wasn't being done to me. What that means is that the vet has to stick a needle into the rough, cruddy part of her nose and draw out some cells to look at them under a microscope. Yes, needle into nose.

Ouch.

It looked as painful as I'm sure it felt. I had to turn my head, I'll be honest. Little Miss wasn't a happy camper. After a couple of pokes, she decided she was done with all that nonsense. Thankfully they got enough goop off of and from inside the crud that they didn't have to fool with her too much more.

The veterinarian and vet technician were terrific. They had some squeeze cheese spread all over a tongue depressor stick to keep Caysun's mind off of the needle in her nose. They went slow and easy, they let me feed her while it was going on.

But there was a needle going into her nose! She wasn't happy. The moral of this story is: because she wasn't happy with what went on, I need to do some remedial veterinary work with her. I will be taking her back to the veterinary hospital when there isn't anything scheduled for her. I want her to have at least 5 visits that are exceptionally good. Visits where stuff like this happens (and only this):

the veterinarian and the techs come out and play with her in the lobby
the veterinarian and the vet techs come out and feed her sirloin (that I bring, of course) in the lobby
she gets to practice already known (and favorite) behaviors in the exam room and earn delicious salmon, sirloin, etc.

Why spend time going back to the animal hospital and working on these things? Isn't that a waste of time?

Because Caysun's just 6 months old. She'll be seeing a veterinarian for another 14 years I hope. I want all of those vet visits to be easy and fun for both the dog and the vet. And if the dog's not happy, ain't nobody happy, especially the vet because it's hard (and dangerous) to examine a dog who doesn't want to be examined!

So it's well worth those 5 or so "un-vet" visits to help dissolve this one unpleasant one. 15 minutes here and there are invaluable for when she's got an emergency and she needs to be calm while the veterinarians and vet techs make her better.

My vets and techs are great. They're willing to spend the few minutes playing with and feeding Caysun when I drop by. They know it's a good investment of their time, too.

Menu

vet visit