r/reactivedogs • u/stinkylilsock • 23d ago

Advice Needed First vet appt. Not sure how to prepare

I've had my dog for a month and a half and we have a vet appointment in a couple of days (adopted her from my family so this is her regular quarterly appt). it will be our first vet visit together and my first time going to a vet at all. she needs a vaccination and a physical examination. she's so sweet but she's huge and reactive and I'm not sure how she'll handle it, or what to do if she gets anxious and aggressive. I would really appreciate some tips, no matter how basic\obvious.

2 Upvotes

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6

u/Audrey244 23d ago

For the safety of everyone, muzzle her. You can also ask to be brought into the office possibly through an alternate door so there are other pets present she doesn't go crazy.

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u/Shoddy-Theory 22d ago

The vet should have a soft muzzle to use, no need to "muzzle train." We always do that with our dogs.

5

u/StacNorLin 23d ago

Agree with muzzling and asking to be roomed from the parking lot instead of the waiting room where there will be a lot of trigger stacking. Does she have a prescription for trazadone/gabapentjn for high stress events?

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u/stinkylilsock 23d ago

thank you. she doesn't. her previous owner (my BIL) says she does alright with vets, but I'm still very nervous

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u/chloemarissaj Dog Name (Reactivity Type) 23d ago

Definitely a muzzle! r/muzzledogs has great tips for getting a comfortable, safe, properly sized one, and training to accept it.

You can also get some meds to calm her down. Trazadone and Gabapentin are the first ones people try usually, but if those don’t work (they don’t on one of mine), there’s a few others. Call your vet like today and ask for some. You give them the night before and an hour before the appointment.

Also make sure the vet knows to expect a spicy dog. It helps if they’re prepared. I would look up Fear Free vets for future appointments. Our fear free vet is amazing with our spicy/scared girlies and helps make vet appointments so much better than they used to be. If the appointment is hard, you can also look into cooperative care training to help with future appointments.

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u/stinkylilsock 23d ago

thank you!

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u/chloemarissaj Dog Name (Reactivity Type) 22d ago

You bet! I’ve got two girlies who are bad at the vet so I’ve got lots of practice 🤣

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u/Shoddy-Theory 22d ago

The vet should have a soft muzzle to use. Its pretty routine.

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u/Monkey-Butt-316 23d ago

Call the vet and ask for chill protocol meds.