“I’m embarrassed to take my fear aggressive pet to the vet.”

Tucker is the poster-child for difficult vet visits, even though he lives with a vet!

Why you never have to say this phrase again: “I’m embarrassed to take my fear aggressive pet to the vet.”

 If you know, you know.

 Does the annual exam reminder from your veterinarian cause you to flinch at the thought of bringing your nervous dog to the clinic?   Or do you worry about the moment when your disgruntled homebody cat develops an illness that requires him to go to the clinic?

 For those of us who have experienced these feelings before, please know that you’re not alone.  Even veterinary professionals, such as myself, have pets that don’t take kindly to veterinary visits.  If any of you have met my emotionally complex and socially awkward cat Tucker, then you know that I am speaking from experience.

If you know, you know.

We can tell when the clinic staff is gently telling us that things aren’t quite going to plan. 

“She’s just a little too concerned for us to complete this nail trim today.” 

 “He is quite anxious when we try to position him for x-rays. Let’s talk about our options for sedation.”

 Big breath in, and sigh. We know. You don’t have to even tell us.  Our nervous pet is starting to act out, and we just want to scurry out of the clinic, pet in hand and our collective tails between our legs.

If you know, you know.

But did you actually know, that your veterinary team doesn’t think that you need to be embarrassed?  And that we would like for you to feel like you can talk to us about your concerns, without fear or judgement?

I have encountered clients who have had previous experiences in which they didn’t feel like options were offered to them for their nervous or fear aggressive pet. And this is not to say that their previous clinic didn’t want to help them, but maybe that they didn’t recognize the signs of anxiety in their human client as part of their assessment of the situation.  As veterinarians, we deal with pet anxiety and behavioural concerns all day long.  But sometimes, we forget to consider the feelings of the client as the other half of the equation. So for those pet owners who have experienced this before, I would like to apologize on behalf of our profession.  We are all still learning, and we will all do better.  And for those of us who are already doing this well, I would implore you to mentor your peers to follow in your footsteps.

 Now back to that annual exam reminder for your nervous, fear aggressive or stranger-danger pet. There are ways that we can make this easier for you!  The first step is letting your veterinarian know about your concerns in advance of your appointment. Relieving veterinary clinic-related anxiety starts before you leave the house, and sometimes the night before, with very specific calming supplements and prescription medication.   We will book your appointment at a specific time of day, so that if sedation is required during the appointment, we have the adequate amount of time and staff to monitor and recover your pet.  We will also book your appointment during a time when we are confident that you and your anxious pet will not be waiting or surrounded by people or pets in either the parking lot or the waiting room. If your dog is muzzle trained, then we may ask for you to apply their muzzle before entering the clinic.  And if they’re not muzzle trained, we will guide you to reliable resources to work on this valuable skill.  We will even connect you with positive reinforcement, fear-free trainers to help your pet navigate future situations outside of the vet clinic.

 The goals of these appointments are to:

a.     Make sure that your pet has a positive experience so that we can reinforce good experiences with veterinary visits

b.     Safely and efficiently complete any medical procedures required to ensure your pet’s physical health, while respecting the needs of their mental health

c.      Make sure that you, the client, feel confident and relaxed with the plan.

 I have had clients tell me after these well-planned appointments that they were so relieved that they cried. I have had clients tell me that they never thought their dog or cat could have a positive experience at the clinic until now.  And let me tell you, there is nothing more gratifying for us when we can offer the gift of a positive experience to both animal and human in these situations.

 So, there’s really nothing to be embarrassed about.  If you know, you know.  And trust me, we KNOW.