I need some advice for Reuben please

[kateincornwall]

Like his uncle Sam before him , Reuben has always loved visiting the Vets , he never used to make a fuss about anything despite his surgeries for tumour removals . However , he has also had problems with split nails and on one occasion he needed sedation to remove a badly damaged nail . I had taken him back for a check up and a student nurse took him into one of the back rooms and I heard him screaming . It transpired that the wound had become infected and she admitted to just ripping off the dressing which took with it some surface infected skin .He had antibiotics , the wound cleared eventually but now , he gets terribly upset and anxious even as we walk through the door .. I had to take him a few days ago as he had another lump and honestly , I felt so sorry for him,, he cried and was panting heavily , just pure fear but he got so bad that I could not calm him down at all, he had gone too far to listen or react to me and then even gave a little growl at Sue, something unheard of before that nail episode . I have tried taking him in just to sit in the waiting room as suggested but he is still as bad and it is heart breaking for both of us . Do you think some sort of mild sedative may just help our boy as he will have to go back to have the lump monitored , it is very worrying xx

 

[Atemas]

Would the vet come out to the car? It’s understandable why that experience would have a lasting effect - our Labradors don’t forget do they? Could you ring the vets and ask for their advice regarding a mild sedative.i think his bad experience is too great for desensitising him by just going and sitting in the waiting room

 

[Selina27]

I'm sorry this has happened Kate, it's doubly upsetting when Reuben has always been so happy to visit the vets before.
It does sound to me like a sedative would be a good idea, and agree with Alison talking to your vet would be a start.
You have a good relationship with her, so I am sure from what you say she would understand your concerns.
Maybe the nurses would help with desensitisation sessions?

 

[Stacia]

By chance something came up from a fairly local veterinary surgery on Facebook. The dog was in the consulting room ( think it best Reuben doesn't have to wait in the waiting room as that would feel like sitting in the dentist chair and waiting for the pain from the drill) and the vet scattered treats and was generally non threatening, then a nurse came in and just held a bandage and again gave treats and then the dog went home with no handling. I image this would have to be done a few times and hopefully desensitised Reuben. Otherwise he does need a sedative as his fear is only going to become magnified, poor boy

 

[Cath]

So sorry Kate that this has happen. My vet in England always comes out into the car park to see to Fred. We always have the same
male vet and he understands Fred, it works well. My OH sits down and rubs Fred's ears and sings to him, I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok. While the
vet gives him his injection. We take our own folding chair.

In France we have another male vet, sorry our Fred will not have a female vet after one hurt him.
We have tried a sedative and it didn't work for Fred he fought it. He has now built up some courage with the French vet. We find it best if we don't wait around in the waiting room, because he only works himself up. We wait in the car park and go straight into the vets room.
This has taken time . Find a vet willing to work with you both. Then always go to that vet.
My OH did get a funny look when he started to sing the above song, you could see the vet thinking Mad English. Good luck x

 

[Cath]

By the way Kate we always take some cut up sausages with us and give the vet 3 piece to give to Fred before anything is done.
Maybe you could try and get a vet to work with you, so you could just go into the vets room with Reuben. Reuben could get his treat and straight out
again with nothing being done. This may help him.

 

[kateincornwall]

Thank you all , I do appreciate your suggestions . I nearly always go into the room with Reubs but I didnt on the one occasion when he needed me most and I feel so bad about it . Food doesnt seem to cut it , he is beyond wanting treats of any kind . The suggestion of asking Sue to see him in the car may just work , thank you . He travels in the large boot with a dog guard so plenty of room to examine him .It really is an awful shame because as anyone who has met him knows that he is friendly happy dog , just one visit has spoilt visits for him , thank you xx

 

[HAH]

Kate, I’m sorry this happened and sorry for you and Reuben that he was let down by the vet nurse’s handling. What a shame. I agree with Alison’s advice re the vet coming out to the car; we do this with Stilton, who’s been nervous going into the consulting rooms since he had ongoing ear problems, and it’s been a great way to accommodate his preferences. One other thing that occurred is whether Reuben’s happy to wear a muzzle? It’s a prompt for me too to get Stilton comfortable with this; just in case, and not for this situation. But it’s a bit reassuring to know that in future if ever needed, Reuben would be okay to wear a muzzle for any urgent care.

 

[Cath]

to wear a muzzle for any urgent care.

We have done this too and made a game of it. Both with Annie and Fred ,although Annie goes into the vets happy.

 

[kateincornwall]

Thanks again friends , I have used a muzzle on Reuben when he went for a routine check on his surgery wound and he didnt seem to mind it too much x I think the great suggestion of him being examined in our car is going to help him to cope as I can sit next to him , thank you xx

 

[Emily]

As you know, Ella is a terrible at the vet. There was no apparent defining moment that caused the fear, it slowly progressed over time. We've had a few different thoughts and plans over time so I'll try to share some of our experiences in case they're of any use.

If it wasn't a sad situation, Ella would actually look quite comical when she's at the vet. She "stresses high" so looks like a highly energetic nutty lunatic. She desperately wants to say hi to the vets and nurses and will happily accept treats (poked through her muzzle) . But.... She's shaking and whimpering and trying to climb on my lap when waiting or in the treatment room.

We use a muzzle for every vet visit. The theory being that just one nip, bite, close miss etc. could result in a connection being made between "vet stops doing xyz when I try to bite".

Our previous vet was very hesitant to see Ella in our car. They were fine with seeing us in the car park (we didn't end up doing this) but felt that our car was a safe space for Ella and didn't want to associate "scary vet stuff" with the car.

We have used both Trazadone and Trazadone with Gabapentin with Ella. Most vets have seen results with this but for Ella, she manages to fight through the medication and we see no difference at the vet (vet agrees with our assessment). We stopped using it as we found that she crashed when she got home so the after effects weren't worth it. That being said, I'd certainly look at it as an option to try.

I spent months trying to make Ella more comfortable at the vet. Weekly pop ins, quick weighs, treats, etc. but for us, nothing helped. When walking, the second we'd turn in the direction of the vet she'd start lagging. If we walked past instead of going in, she'd start pulling and racing past.

Our strategy now is to wait in the car and the vet calls us when ready. We walk in, get it done and I take her back to the car afterwards. Some things need to be done under sedation, and some things get postponed. Sadly we have to weigh up risk/reward with some things (e.g. nail clipping). Ella has long nails but we decided it wasn't worth having to sedate her every couple of months to have them cut so we just live with long nails.

Sometimes I feel sad about the whole thing as I'd love to have that chilled out happy dog that loves going to the vet. But the reality is she'll never be that dog so we just work with what we've got.

 

[Lisa]

I’m so sorry this happened, Kate! Simba had his struggles at the vet. I know how hard that is to cope with. I hope your vet will be willing to try doing the exam in the car.

 

[Beanwood]

It sounds like Reuben has patterned a strong fear response to the vet - understandably. For the interim I would ask for some support with medicine that will work at reducing his fear to the point of Reuben being able to work through this with the help of the staff. It might be a good idea to work with the medication on a visit where you can work with the effects and tweak dosage before any actual intervention.

 

[edzbird]

Meg has also tried the trazadone, and trazadone with gabapentin. Like Ella, she fights it and it appears to have no effect.