Cubbe report: The vet and the tail

Cubbe is back from a day at the vet where she got her routine annual
exam and annual shots and routine rare dental work. She's fine. The
bad news is that the vet reports no improvement in her fear during the
exam and shots. The good news is that she goes back to being trusting
good dog the instant she stops feeling threatened which is the instant
they stop trying to hold her still. So when they go to get her to move
her around the office or to get her to bring her to me, she's fine,
holds no grudges. I expect that. She's fine with all people when she's
on or off a leash, just doesn't like being up on that table and takes
great exception the muzzle but can't be trusted for those few minutes
without it.


Her teeth are fine too. She got tartar scraped off them so now she has
a lovely smile. Naturally that required anesthetic which is why she
spent the day at the vet instead of my being there with her. When she
came out of the back office as we were paying, she recognized us and
seemed quite happy but not the full joyful waggy tail greeting we
usually get. She was still groggy. Now at home, we're watching the
anesthetic indicator: the tail. I swear it is the funniest thing to
watch Cubbe's tail go from relaxed and unfurled to the full upright
curled position. The entire transformation takes a few hours, but we
have a complete visual indicator of how the drug is effecting her during
that time.


--Lia

Handsome Jack Morrison wrote:

There's a way to eliminate two-thirds of these "annual" shots, Lia,
and that's to switch to the 3 year protocol.

You might want to talk to your vet about that.

Or maybe you already have?


Thanks. Yes, she doesn't get the full round every year. She gets most
every 3 years as you say. Still, today was dental work, and that meant
blood work preceding the anesthetic and a few tests. To her mind, it is
all getting stuck. She gets dental work even less often. Most of my
dogs get it done once a lifetime. In Cubbe's case, this was the first
time in 6 years. In the absence of symptoms, I don't expect her to need
it for another 6.


--Lia

Handsome Jack Morrison wrote:

There's a way to eliminate two-thirds of these "annual" shots, Lia,
and that's to switch to the 3 year protocol.

You might want to talk to your vet about that.

Or maybe you already have?


Thanks. Yes, she doesn't get the full round every year. She gets most
every 3 years as you say. Still, today was dental work, and that meant
blood work preceding the anesthetic and a few tests. To her mind, it is
all getting stuck. She gets dental work even less often. Most of my
dogs get it done once a lifetime. In Cubbe's case, this was the first
time in 6 years. In the absence of symptoms, I don't expect her to need
it for another 6.


--Lia

Handsome Jack Morrison wrote:

There's a way to eliminate two-thirds of these "annual" shots, Lia,
and that's to switch to the 3 year protocol.

You might want to talk to your vet about that.

Or maybe you already have?


Thanks. Yes, she doesn't get the full round every year. She gets most
every 3 years as you say. Still, today was dental work, and that meant
blood work preceding the anesthetic and a few tests. To her mind, it is
all getting stuck. She gets dental work even less often. Most of my
dogs get it done once a lifetime. In Cubbe's case, this was the first
time in 6 years. In the absence of symptoms, I don't expect her to need
it for another 6.


--Lia

Spot wrote:
Have you tried just visiting the vets to try and help her get over her fear?
My vet had me bring Barney in about once a month to say hi & get weighed
just to make him at ease at the vets. We will often even take a walk to the
vet's office and home. It really seems to put him more at ease at the vet's
since he's not so scared.


Thanks. It is a good suggestion. We board at this vet. Cubbe is fine
going there, being in the waiting room, sitting on the scale,
interacting with the staff, going into her crate when boarded, etc. The
moment of freak-out is when she's put on the table or when she's held
still for any sort of exam. The squirm and struggle becomes worse when
she's in pain as in the moment of the shot or when her ears were sore
and needed examination and medication. At home when we first got her,
she was uncomfortable with hugs, but we worked on that in a sort of
gentle catch and release because we knew it was important that we be
able to hold her. It took some time, but it worked, and she's now
comfortable with having her paws and ears handled and having an arm
thrown over her. The rest of the story with this vet is that I find
them slow and expensive. Those qualities make occasional visits out of
the question. They'd want to charge, and they take so long doing
anything they give Cubbe more chance to struggle and fear. My ideal vet
is the one I went to when I lived in another state. The man worked so
fast the dog was all taken care of before knowing what had happened.


--Lia

Spot wrote:
Have you tried just visiting the vets to try and help her get over her fear?
My vet had me bring Barney in about once a month to say hi & get weighed
just to make him at ease at the vets. We will often even take a walk to the
vet's office and home. It really seems to put him more at ease at the vet's
since he's not so scared.


Thanks. It is a good suggestion. We board at this vet. Cubbe is fine
going there, being in the waiting room, sitting on the scale,
interacting with the staff, going into her crate when boarded, etc. The
moment of freak-out is when she's put on the table or when she's held
still for any sort of exam. The squirm and struggle becomes worse when
she's in pain as in the moment of the shot or when her ears were sore
and needed examination and medication. At home when we first got her,
she was uncomfortable with hugs, but we worked on that in a sort of
gentle catch and release because we knew it was important that we be
able to hold her. It took some time, but it worked, and she's now
comfortable with having her paws and ears handled and having an arm
thrown over her. The rest of the story with this vet is that I find
them slow and expensive. Those qualities make occasional visits out of
the question. They'd want to charge, and they take so long doing
anything they give Cubbe more chance to struggle and fear. My ideal vet
is the one I went to when I lived in another state. The man worked so
fast the dog was all taken care of before knowing what had happened.


--Lia

Spot wrote:
Have you tried just visiting the vets to try and help her get over her fear?
My vet had me bring Barney in about once a month to say hi & get weighed
just to make him at ease at the vets. We will often even take a walk to the
vet's office and home. It really seems to put him more at ease at the vet's
since he's not so scared.


Thanks. It is a good suggestion. We board at this vet. Cubbe is fine
going there, being in the waiting room, sitting on the scale,
interacting with the staff, going into her crate when boarded, etc. The
moment of freak-out is when she's put on the table or when she's held
still for any sort of exam. The squirm and struggle becomes worse when
she's in pain as in the moment of the shot or when her ears were sore
and needed examination and medication. At home when we first got her,
she was uncomfortable with hugs, but we worked on that in a sort of
gentle catch and release because we knew it was important that we be
able to hold her. It took some time, but it worked, and she's now
comfortable with having her paws and ears handled and having an arm
thrown over her. The rest of the story with this vet is that I find
them slow and expensive. Those qualities make occasional visits out of
the question. They'd want to charge, and they take so long doing
anything they give Cubbe more chance to struggle and fear. My ideal vet
is the one I went to when I lived in another state. The man worked so
fast the dog was all taken care of before knowing what had happened.


--Lia