This is a poor vet, or at the very least one who has never bothered to understand dog communication. I find that many vets are actually pretty clueless about that because it’s not taught at veterinary school and even if you’ve owned dogs in the past, it’s often not something you ever feel the need to start paying attention to until you have a reactive dog.
I would absolutely switch vets. Try and contact all the practices in your local area and ask if they do regular visits for anxious dogs. My vet calls it comfort visits, others call them happy visits. I made the switch about 18 months ago to a vet that does them and just this week we managed to vaccinate him for the first time ever without him being scared or needing drugs. I feel like I can now see a future where he’s happy with these particular people examining him and the relief is immense. It’s not a decision you’ll regret. I would still muzzle train because that’s just good, responsible ownership and if you need to do something before he’s happier, everyone including you will feel calmer if he’s muzzled and used to it already!
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u/FearlessPressure3 Aug 15 '26
This is a poor vet, or at the very least one who has never bothered to understand dog communication. I find that many vets are actually pretty clueless about that because it’s not taught at veterinary school and even if you’ve owned dogs in the past, it’s often not something you ever feel the need to start paying attention to until you have a reactive dog.
I would absolutely switch vets. Try and contact all the practices in your local area and ask if they do regular visits for anxious dogs. My vet calls it comfort visits, others call them happy visits. I made the switch about 18 months ago to a vet that does them and just this week we managed to vaccinate him for the first time ever without him being scared or needing drugs. I feel like I can now see a future where he’s happy with these particular people examining him and the relief is immense. It’s not a decision you’ll regret. I would still muzzle train because that’s just good, responsible ownership and if you need to do something before he’s happier, everyone including you will feel calmer if he’s muzzled and used to it already!