# He just doesn't like visiting the vet's office.



## JustTess (Mar 19, 2008)

I feel like Ilya has gotten the word "trouble" stamped on his head. I've even tried changing vets to see if he would change his mind. He wasn't always this way.

When I first got him 3 years ago, he didn't mind visiting the vet. He would get nervous but he wouldn't mind the nail trim, vascinations, or ear exams. Now, he needs tranquilizers and a muzzle  He's also a dog who needs to visit the vet periodically because he blows his digestive system whenever he's too stressed.

I've tried to instill positive association by walking past the vet's office and then entering inside for a treat. Walking by is okay, once inside, he wants to leave. Once he behaves negatively, I don't repeat the pattern and try a different route... car ride. It works until 5 minutes into the office. He starts panting, whining, which may elevate to chewing his leash to escape.

If the vet puts a hand on him, you'ld think he got poked with a hot poker and then he looses it. He starts running for the cover and nothing makes sense to him for a while.

I thought about a vet who does house visits but I think he may start to think all strangers are bad. 

This behavior mainly started when he had his heartworm treatment a while back. Will it ever be possible for him to visit the vet again without going bezerk. 

Any ideas appreaciated.


Good grief... I posted in the wrong section.... can a moderater move this? Thank you. :S


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## MoosMom (Sep 15, 2009)

What if you tried a weekly visit where nothing gets done? Take some yummy snacks and reward him in the lobby. I bet they would let you know when the slow times are.


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

I agree with MoosMom. Start with you giving a yummy treat that he only gets at the vet office. At first only stay long enough to give the treat don't wait beyond his threshold at first. You can increase the time as he starts to relax. If the staff is willing to help (most are) then progress to staff members giving him the yummy treat. Be patient and consistent. Like any training it takes time. The injections for heartworm treatment are very painful so he has some memories to overcome. Remember you need to be relaxed too. Your tension will radiate right down to him through your leash. So breath, laugh and be positive. Good luck to you and Ilya. Let us know how things go.


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## DogPaw (Jan 11, 2009)

MoosMom said:


> What if you tried a weekly visit where nothing gets done? Take some yummy snacks and reward him in the lobby. I bet they would let you know when the slow times are.


I have done this with all my dogs. I will stop in and just visit or if I have to pick something up I take one with me. With doing that I've not had any issues with them going to the vets.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

He has had a negative association with the vet's office now since the HW treatment and has to be desensatized to the whole thing all over again. Short positive trips with LOTS of positive reinforcement BEFORE he can start tweaking will go a long way to helping this issue. First few trips really short. If you know that with in 5 minutes there he is going to start to tweak, then all your first few trips need to be shorter than his tweak point... then you can gradually increase it after 5 or 6 of the short visits. You should notice his tweak point time taking a greater time to reach. You always want to try and keep it short to just before that tweak time. If you remove him when he starts to tweak he will start thinking "if I tweak then I can leave" we want to avoid him making that association. 

Personally I would like to know if he received any rough handling there during his HW treatment to have that drastric a change in opinion of the vet from before to after the treatment? I know HW treatment is painful and intense but most dogs do ok with it unless they were handled roughly during the confinement periods or treatment periods while at the vet behind closed doors. I find it really hard to believe that just the treatment alone would leave that kind of bitter taste in the dog's mouth for the entire vet experience esp since his areas of tweak are highest at points of the visit where he is handled directly by vet staff.


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## JustTess (Mar 19, 2008)

Thank you for the responses. I will keep trying to find ways to make going to the vet positive. 

I don't think the people who treated him for the HW were horrible. Lola, our terrier mix, also went through the same procedure at the same time when we adopted them from the shelter. She did not behave the same as Ilya. He became very restless after his treatment and had a horrible case of colitus right after. 

I may need to learn more about dogs who have anxiety or a bit fearful because he seems to fit a lot of the characteristics I have been reading about.


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## FaithFurMom09 (Oct 24, 2009)

i have no advice, but what exactly do they do for a HW vax because you all are scaring me, no joke.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

there really is no heartworm "vaccine" it is a monthly preventative that is usually ivermectin based.

Products like heartguard, iverheart, interceptor


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## FaithFurMom09 (Oct 24, 2009)

Dog_Shrink said:


> there really is no heartworm "vaccine" it is a monthly preventative that is usually ivermectin based.
> 
> Products like heartguard, iverheart, interceptor


right but they said it was painful, what exactly do they do?


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

FaithFurMom09 said:


> right but they said it was painful, what exactly do they do?


Here is an article explaining why Hwt (for heartworm positive dogs) is painful:

The only product currently available for the treatment of adult heartworms is melarsomine dihydrochloride (Immiticide® by Merial). If you follow the manufacturer's recommendations, treatment can be done in two doses or three doses depending on the class of infection. Most universities, however, opt to treat all patients with the three-dose protocol as it creates a more gradual kill of the adult worms, which is safer in terms of embolism and shock.

The patient receives an intramuscular injection deeply in the lower back muscles as shown above. This is a painful injection with a painful substance, and it is common for the patient to be quite sore afterwards at home. Pain medication may be needed. Be careful of the injection site as it may hurt enough to cause a dog to bite. An abscess may form at the site, which requires use of warm compresses. Approximately 30% of dogs experience some sort of reaction at the injection site that resolves in 1 to 4 weeks. Some dogs develop a permanent firm lump at the site of injection.

In the two-dose protocol, the dog receives a second injection the next day on the opposite side of the lower back. In the three-dose protocol, the dog comes back one month later for two doses 24 hours apart (the first dose represents an introductory treatment to kill some of the more sensitive worms.) Keep in mind, too many worms dying at once creates circulatory shock.

After treatment, the patient must be strictly confined for one month following the final treatment. No walks, no running around. The dog must live the indoor life. The reason for this is that embolism to some degree is inevitable and it is important to minimize embolism-related problems. Exercise increases heart rate and oxygen demand and we need the heart to rest during this recovery period.

Watch for:

* Coughing
* Fever
* Nose bleeds 

If any of these occur, report them to the vet as soon as possible. The most critical time period is 7 to 10 days following a melarsomine treatment, but these signs can occur anytime in the following month.


Some dogs have a higher threshold for pain just like some people. There are dogs that it doesn't seem to bother and others that react with fear. Just depends on the dogs personality.


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## Ayanla (Jun 11, 2009)

FaithFurMom09 said:


> right but they said it was painful, what exactly do they do?


The treatment for heartworm, if your dog is heartworm positive, is painful.

The preventative is a painless oral medication.

Now you see why vets so strongly encourage you to use a preventative on a monthly basis. I know there's a lot of discussion about how often, and whether you should through the winter, but I would vastly rather give them monthly year round preventative than put them through the treatment. I'm not judging anyone who chooses a different style of preventative, just offering my view.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

The treatment for a fast kill is an aresnic based med. Something vets don't often tell you is there is a slow kill method that is much more safe and less painful for your dog but takes longer to kill the worms which is a treatment with a higer does of Ivermectin over the course of a year versus the what 3 months or so it takes on the fast kill method.
The slow kill method is often recommended for dogs that are not up to the physical task of the fast kill method.


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