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When a Dog-Reactive Dog Needs a Vet Visit
Would love for all you to weigh in with suggestions for how to handle this situation: a dog needs a vet visit but they are highly likely to over-react when seeing other dogs, displaying behaviors like barking, lunging, growling, etc.
If a client has a dog like this, what suggestions can we share? Or, if you have a dog like this yourself, what do you do during vet visits?
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24 Replies
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I appreciate this topic.
When I first adopted Titan as a behavior euthanasia save he was “reactive” in general. One thing I did was ask my vet to schedule me first or last appointment.
I have a 14 year old dog, Kaiden, who was “bomb proof” up until 3 years. We now have to take steps to ensure his comfort around other dogs.
Since both my dogs over lap in what we do and, I want to know what others have to say, I will wait for others to chime in!
P.S. Titan no longer “needs” the processes for about 3 years but I am still mindful in general around dogs. I worry about the other dogs now.
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Great tip about the appointment scheduling/time, @jenz !
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What about a veterinarian who makes house calls? For regular things, this is a very low stress and safe option. If advanced technology is needed, desensitizing the dog to wearing a calming cap and a muzzle could add layers of safety. A Thundershirt and DAP collar could be helpful for some dogs.
Sometimes clinics have a lesser used side door or other alternative entrance so the dog wouldn’t have to navigate a crowded waiting area. Some clinics would be open to a phone call ahead of time so that the dog can be brought straight into a waiting room with no waiting.
Dogs shouldn’t have to be afraid of us doing what needs to be done for their care, so a desensitization and counter-conditioning program would be top of my list to get the dog comfortable, but these other ideas may be ways to manage the situation.
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Such fabulous input, @catherine — thanks for sharing all those great ideas. ????
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Of course, and I do hope others join in… I know we have several folks who have experienced this first hand… @PerpetualCleric @jenz @abbie ?
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@catherine Yes, I chimed one idea in above!
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Yes, that scheduling first or last is simple and genius!
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<div>I have had the good fortune to have a “concierge” vet come to the house on several occasions. They do almost everything an office vet does except surgical procedures etc. My dog is more comfortable in my home. Unfortunately, there are no fear free certified or low stress handling practices in my area. I have an office vet as well though and I do a few things to make vet visits more palatable for my guy.
</div>1. I keep him in the car until they call me and say that they are ready for me in the exam room
2. I bring a non-slip surface (or a well loved mat) for my dog if he MUST be put on the metal exam table. I ask for the exam to be conducted on the floor if possible.
3. I take photos of my dogs teeth and open mouth at home just before I go to the vet in case the vet needs mouth photos (this is usually just for annual exams). This can often avoid the vet needing to spend extensive time at the velociraptor portion of the dog. I also take video of any issues (limping gait etc.) that might be an issue. Dogs often are overly stoic at a vet and don’t show the pain they show when in a relaxed environment.
4. I freeze a “chicken pop” of shredded slow cooker chicken in broth in a topple as a licki item during the exam.
In this day and age of equity firms buying out all the little mom and pop vets and feeling like a number instead of a client, I make sure to bring a list of questions to ask and do not let them take my guy into a “back room” for any procedures.
I try to remember that veterinarians have one of the hardest jobs in the world and an enormous amount of stress and express my appreciation and understanding of their difficulties. They are constantly in the position of trying to convince folks to spend money to care for their animals. It is a hard place to be. The veterinary profession and practice, just like modern human medical care in the his country, is due for a more compassionate overhaul. I hope it happens soon.
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@abbie , your post is absolute GOLD! Thank you for sharing such great tips. I’m so glad you mentioned the at-home vet option, and your idea to take pics of your dog’s teeth/mouth in advance is nothing short of genius. Same with video of any gait issues as the dogs can definitely hide those clues while at the vet office.
I, too, bring along a mat for the exam table, one that I’ve spent a good deal of time training on so my dog has a positive feeling about it. And with extremely rare exception, I don’t let the vet take my dog “to the back” — in my area, that seems to be the go-to strategy no matter the dog, and they ‘nicely’ and with confidence pronounce this intention as if one doesn’t have an option, but I nicely tell them I’d like the dog to remain with me for the exam, etc. I think many folks just capitulate, and it’s rarely the better option for our pets.-
I agree – @abbie , you have amazing ideas here!
And yeah, I also push back on the “We’ll take it from here.” when they want to take my girls to the back. I’ll usually say, “Thank you but we’ve trained for this and I prefer to restrain her if she needs it.” The only time I’ve had to capitulate was for radiographs. They refused to do it with me present, even when I threw down my “I used to be a vet tech.” So I did what I could, demonstrating her cues for “Belly” (Lie on your side) and “Stay”…. I wish I had done more to teach her to hold a position for her OFA hip exrays though.
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Handlers of reactive dogs need to be on their A game for finding their dog’s radius of reactivity. I kept my “bubble boy” out of tight situations like the demonstrated visual. I NEVER led him down a tight space like a hallway where other dogs were. In tight indoor spaces like doggie daycare drop off or vets offices, I’d just look in the window and wait outside well away from the door to allow any other dogs to leave. If other people rushed in with their dogs, I’d just keep waiting until the “coast was clear” to set my boy up for success.
I also used body blocking to position myself between my dog and the other dog as a visual barrier, distracting my dog, and providing needed space for my dog’s comfort.
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I also take our dogs to a low stress handling clinic. When I established with them, I had a call with their front office and techs and asked that we can go from the front door to an exam room. This was a bigger deal pre-covid but became the norm during the COVID days to bypass the open waiting room space. When we did have to wait, I asked for the clinic to call me when the exam room was ready and wait outside letting him casually sniff and pee to his heart’s content.
Since Mal also had severe body handling issues, he’d be medicated with anti-anxiety medication in advance and wore a basket muzzle.
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@PerpetualCleric you have shared some amazing tips here. Thank you – the wealth of knowlege from your experiences with Mal lives on! I’m so grateful for your generosity and willingness to share. He was an amazing boy and you all taught me lots. ????
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Thank you, @PerpetualCleric , for your wonderful input!
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When I got my last dog – 52lb female pitbull mix, resucue from basement breeder, spayed @ 6y/o- she was highly reactive to other dogs.
Here’s what helped her:
I tried to schedule appointments towards the end of the day so it would be less crowded at the clinic. I gave her calming supplements an hour before her visit. When possible I kept her walking around outside the clinic until they were ready for us. Lots of sniff breaks. Lots of hand targeting in front of the clinic. We practiced various cues in front of the clinic before going in to keep her thinking instead of reacting. When we had to wait in a waiting room I used visual barriers and kept her tucked under my chair or sitting between my knees. I trained her on a cage muzzle that allowed easy access to treats and water. meticulously reinforced her downstay and rewarding for triggers, distractions and sometimes used engage-disengage. I highly recommended mat training with distractions at home and take it on the road. Even if you don’t use it directly at the vet office it will make holding position much easier for the dog in higher stress situations. After a few years of planning for antecedents, using calming supplements as a tool to help cope, and training skills that improve impulse control, she was able to tolerate waiting in a vets office in a settled downstay with intermittent treat rewards for “the hard stuff”, calm praise and affective touch. We still used a cage muzzle just in case, and continued giving calming supplements to associate the visits with a calmer emotional state.
Every dog is different, so the dog in question may need different types of support from you, but perhaps some of these strategies may prove useful.
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@flipzpets , what a treasure trove of helpful ideas — thanks for sharing!
What did you use specifically for the visual barrier?
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Anything available in the environment. If there was a seat between a corner and potted plant I would take it. Sometimes kept her between benches, sat in nooks and crannies, out of walking paths whenever possible and used my body (legs, shoulder etc) . If you have a second person that is of course immensely helpful, not just for body blocking and visual barriers, but to advocate for the dogs needs while the handler is busy with the dog.
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Thanks, @flipzpets .
It would be nice if vets offered simple visual barriers as an option to bring out for sensitive dogs, like instructors often have in group class formats. A bi-fold of corroplast would easily do the trick and would take up next to no room to store.Just thinking out loud — we as trainers might bring this specific idea to them as a helpful suggestion, even if we don’t have a dog of our own in need of this.
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Brilliant idea with the coroplast fold up barrier, @virginiad -What if that fold up just happened to have your dog business printed on it in a cool design! Tuck a meaningful phrase on there ” Fear not! Call us!” or yeah, maybe I shouldn’t be in charge of the marketing department, but you get the idea – and probably a lot of phone calls if the vet clinics in your area all had one!
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Marketing genius @catherine !
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Yes, that is a great idea!
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Hi Jenn, Bobby here. I have a 75 lb. Am/Staff Pit Mix that I also trained to be comfortable with a cage muzzle for Vet visits. “Hank” unfortunately, is EXTREMELY dog reactive. I also get the earliest scheduled appts. and have access to my Vet’s side door to a treatment room to avoid seeing other dogs. – My question is; what calming supplements do you use, and do they really help? Hank is sadly, a highly anxious dog. Thanks in advance.
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@bobk My motto is “Use ALL the tools in your toolbox”. For my dog Cindy, I used Quiet moments by Naturvet. Those worked great for her, but they don’t work for every dog. Every dog responds differently to supplements so I would test out a few at home. A lot of dogs do great on a CBD tincture that you can add to their breakfast (I don’t recommend CBD treats) Zesty Paws also makes a dental chew called Hemp Elements Orastix. I love using these because the act of chewing is also a stress reducer, so your dog is already less anxious before the supplement kicks in. It only works if your dog isn’t too anxious to eat a larger treat though. It works well as a bedtime chew.There is also vetriscience composure, which did absolutely nothing for my dog Cindy, but did help some of my client’s dogs. It’s important to remember that the goal of a calming supplement is to give your dog help coping with stress. Meaning, it should reduce their threshold for reactions, give them more restful sleep, and more moments at a lower arousal level. A lot of clients I have worked with don’t notice when it’s working because the dog will still react, but they will react less frequently, with less intensity and have a quicker recovery. In addition to giving a supplement right before the appointment, I would also recommend giving it the night before so you dog can get restful sleep and have the ability to handle more stress, and also the night after the appointment.
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@bobk one more thing- for your dog in addition to supplements, I would also recommend using a DAP collar on vet days. You can get them from ThunderEase (makers of the thundershirt) Dog Apeasment Pheremone can be very helpful to most dogs because it’s something their bodies are built to produce and detect from other dogs. The worst that can happen is you don’t see a difference, the best that can happen is your dog has another tool to cope with stress.
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