U could also try vets till you get a good one , our first vet was a young vet and was very afraid of my 5 month old. Which instilled fear in him. My currant vet is older and very good with him and won't even let me handle him while I am there, he has bit at his vet techs a few times but vet always says he has dealt with a lot worse. He says if I get bit while in the exam room I could file a law suite against them.
@beth314 Here are a couple of things you might try:
Seek a vet who will do an outside visit. I have one local low cost clinic who does that for the difficult dogs.
Train your pup to wear an Elizabethan collar at home. I’ve used a very oversized one for one foster b with a previously very bad handling history (covid has not allowed me to do my usual rehab with him - going in to vet visits with dogs he knows without being handled - just a ride-along). It is so large that his nose does not stick out the end. In the inside of the cone, I spread peanut butter which he loved. Obviously, he could still bite, but the huge cone allowed him to be restrained gently from the side while examined. He growled a little, but did not attempt to bite even when he was stuck for his rabies vaccine. If she gets used to this at home, she can wear the oversized collar for the vet visit and feel less threatened than she might with a muzzle. Close-up checking of ears and eyes may have to wait, but at least vet visits might be a little more positive. An Adaptil collar may help to sooth her as well.
To ‘train’ for a vet visit, maybe you have a willing friend or family you can visit with her who can pretend to be a vet or vet tech. Go slow. Choose a kitchen or ‘sterile’ spot in the home that might be similar to a sterile exam room. At first, just have your friend ask her to sit and give her a treat reward. No touching until she seems comfortable. When she’s comfortable there, you perhaps could meet with family or friend at a pet store, going through the same slow get to know you process.
I hope you can find a vet with the right body language!
@senjisilly said in Vet crisis:
You might try telling people to pet/approach her from underneath, not on top of her head.
Most dog savvy people (and I should think that would include vets!) know that many dogs do not want strangers to put their hands behind their eyes. If a dog is at all wary of strangers it will not be comfortable with hands going where they can't see them. It's not just a terrier thing. Of course, a vet is going to have to handle the dog but setting the right tone at the beginning is important, and the current situation definitely requires some finesse. Taking the dog from the owner is stressful and doesn't start things off in a relaxed manner!
What is difficult is that dogs learn after a visit or two that vets often do things that are scary or that hurt, so it can be hard to instill trust in the dog. Most accept handling but some will not, especially dogs that are a bit fearful at the best of times. If the owner is confident they are the best person to handle the dog. Anyone who is apprehensive will transmit that and make the dog more likely to bite.
"In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"
@eeeefarm I know that following how these conversations thread isn't easy but the comment I responded to was not about the vet visit, of which I have nothing helpful to add, but about @Beth314 's comment to @tanza regarding her pup's reaction to people trying to pet her head. I don't believe @Beth314 was talking about dog savvy people in the comment I responded to. Next time I respond within a post it will be with a copy of what I am responding to so as to not create confusion.
I thought this was why God invented muzzles. I suspect when you can go into the vet office this will resolve itself.
@eeeefarm
I was thinking the same exact thing! Even groomers sometimes use a little, lightweight muzzle. It's just for a few minutes and doesn't hurt.
@senjisilly, yes, I know the comment was more general.
RE: muzzles, yes, a better choice than a chemical solution unless the dog is hysterical. Another point that I think is important....it is good to teach your pup or dog to quietly accept restraint. IMO, it is always a mistake to release a pup that is struggling, it sends the wrong message. If you pick a pup up or hold it, do not release it until it is quiet, otherwise you are reinforcing the instinct to fight to get free. The lesson is always that fighting is not productive, but cooperation will get you what you want. Makes it much easier if you need to restrain the dog for treatment.
"In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"
My 11 month old went into the vet alone last month and did not consent to being examined. The vet said she was "a bit snappy" and that they tried to muzzle her, but that she wouldn't accept that either, so they used a rolled up towel around her neck, which they said calmed her and prevented her from biting..She didn't seem concerned about her snapping and appreciated that she didn't know them and was alone.
I had to take her again today (to a different branch) and due to that memory she was very reluctant to go in, but thankfully due to Covid restrictions being lifted here in the UK I was allowed in with her. The vet asked me to put one hand under her chin/jaw and to hold her collar with the other while she was examined. There was a small growl when the thermometer went into her back passage (can't blame her!) but me gently restraining her in that way whilst giving lots of verbal praise worked really well.
She also doesn't like strangers approaching her overhead, so I ask people to hold their hand out and let her approach them before scratching her under the chin, pointing out her hackles and that she is nervous. This approach has allowed her to say hello to multiple people, which she really enjoys.
It might be worth shopping around for a different vet who is more patient and willing to think creatively to help your dog tolerate bring examined. Also hopefully it won't be long before you are able to go in with her.
My boy from day one has been skeptical of vets. (I have a vet who also cares for my horse so in the scheme of things dogs are not as dangerous to her which is helpful) but from the first time in we put a muzzle on him just in case -he even looked to me like he was thinking about it so I totally agreed. He has never actually tried to bite (I think he knows he can't with a muzzle on) but because of his eyeing us, we continue to use it just in case. He knows the routine, and is definitely better when I'm holding him myself but its not worth taking a chance on anyone's safety and its been fine. I agree that a good vet office should know how to handle untrusting dogs. With a young dog I would definitely want to be with them to make them as comfortable as possible and establish good experiences, especially if there have already been bad ones so I would look for a vet willing to work with you and let you be present, if they are not willing, they are not worth it...
@aprilk said in Vet crisis:
its not worth taking a chance on anyone's safety
That, indeed, is the bottom line.
I agree with @aprilk about trying to create as positive a Vet experience as possible especially for a young dog. I also get that's not very doable without being able to be with her. I liked the idea of asking if an examination outside (in front perhaps) of the office might allow you to be with her. Even if you did decide to muzzle up, she'd still have you right there giving her reassurance during the exam and a favorite snack right after. I'd definitely be asking the vet for a little extra help/effort on this issue.
Jengo was always terrified going to the vet. My vet and I talked about it and she always gave him special treatment like not putting him in a crate, allowing him to roam free with the vet techs. I always brought the team cookies, chocolate, or another treat as a big thank you for the extra effort.
I suppose an argument could be made that that's what I'm paying them for, why should I have to do cookies too? I love my doggies. I want everyone who has a hand in their visit to be invested. Logan and Sparkle went in for the first time (while with me) on Monday for hip x-rays; eye, ear, nose and mouth exams, blood tests, etc. They came home a bit groggy, but happy... and with trimmed nails, which was cool! Everyone got a treat that day.
@senjisilly I always tell people to approach from underneath, absolutely! But not everyone listens or gets what you're talking about. Someone explained to me that "underneath" scares people because they, the human, feels more vulnerable.
@eeeefarm Absolutely true about releasing only when pup stops struggling and I'm very careful about that . I hate to think what she learned in those 2 office visits.
Thanks for all the input and reality checks. I think I will add "desensitize to muzzle" at home to the list of training stuff. I will also opt for a mobile vet that comes to my home - we have lots here in CA. NH? Probably not so much.
A possible factor in CA (the lawsuit capital of the world) is vets simply won't take any risks. No vet that I have been to here in the last 15 years has allowed me to restrain my own dogs. And I was a vet tech long ago! They don't care; most vets here won't take the risk.
My Izzy doesn't like extended hands coming from any direction, before he accepts any one he has to get in there face and smell there breath, scares me to death but no biting has happened this way yet. When people extend there hand in any way he thinks that is the message to bite. Of course we do not let him get in complete strangers faces, we don't want to set ourselves up for a law suit
@beth314 - Really? I will not go to a Vet that will not let me restrain my Basenjis especially puppies... Is this a So California thing? Not that I have heard of? Of course my Vets know me and know that I know my Basenjis... that could make a difference.
@beth314 I agree with @Tanza. Aside from current Covid restrictions, my vet had always allowed me to hold/restrain Jengo during visits. Northern California - South Bay Area. Couldn't do it with the newbies this past Monday. Having never been with either during a vet visit, not being allowed to this time, and having read your tale... I gotta admit... I was apprehensive as heck and kept my fingers crossed all day. In normal times I know my vet would've allow me to hold them during an exam.
She owes me some test results still. When I talk to her in the next day or two I'll ask her if it's a thing or not. I'll let you know what I hear.
Mine start to scream as we turn up into the vet's carpark. It is a steep rise and they know exactly where they are heading ! But once inside, either with me in the good old days, or fetched from the car by the Vet, they know they will get given a milk biscuit at the end of it.
They love milk biscuits which they ONLY get from the Vet, and always get at the end of any treatment.
In the days back when. . . I always restrained / held my dog, the nurses (we call techs Veterinary Nurses over here) kept well away and didn't even accompany us into the Vet's office.
@jengosmonkey OK, thanks! I'm heading to New Hampshire soon and life is far more laid back there. I need to remember to ask if I can hold my own puppy/dog and, if not, keep looking. I just don't think of it when I call to make an appointment.
