Our latest blog has some helpful tips to aid your dog have a stress free experience at their next vet appointment.
Attending the vet is key to your pets health. We rely so much on our lovely vets to keep our furry friends happy and healthy from routine checks to serious surgery. Our pets are clever but they can’t always understand that the vet is trying to help them. Us as pet parents can do a few things to make those visits easier on our dogs, the vet and ourselves. Our latest blog has some helpful tips to aid your dog in having a stress free, no fear of the vet.
1. Desensitise Your Dog
Before your first visit, walk past the vet clinic without going in. Ask if there is a time you could pop in with your dog when it is quiet there for a quick hello. Let the staff give your dog treats and fuss over them, if your dog is comfortable with that. This means that your dog can have a positive experience first time round and the subsequent visit won’t be such a shock.
2. Prepare Your Dog for Being Handled
Lift your dog (if it is small enough to do so safely) as much as possible prior to visiting the vet. Regular grooming will help your dog become accustomed to being handled all over. Practise examining their mouth, ears and paws so that when the vet does this, it won’t seem so strange and scary to your dog.
3. Have Plenty of Treats to Hand
Unless your dog is fasting or has an upset stomach, offer plenty of low-calorie training treats during the visit. This will help distract them if they are getting unsettled and can be used as a reward for good behaviour (positive reinforcement).
4. Adapt to the Situation
While you are waiting for your appointment, keep a distance from other dogs if you are in the waiting area. However, if tension does starts to build with dogs staring hard at each other, distract your dog with a treat or calmly remove yourself and your pet outside. If your dog is reactive to other dogs, speak to the staff in advance about waiting outside until you are called for your appointment. Our dogs pick up on our mood, and if we are anticipating a terrible visit with our dog getting upset, we’re more likely to get exactly that. So being calm and adapting to any situation is the best strategy for pet parents to adapt for a positive experience for our pet.
5. Try a Calming Supplement
If all else fails, ask your vet about using a calming supplement for the visit. It might not be appropriate with some ailments, but often it can help your dog get through a scary situation and learn that the vet isn’t so bad. One of our most popular supplements is Kalm Aid Calming Tablets, that promote relaxation and reduces nervous irritability. It is useful for situations such as vet visits as each tablet contains L- tryptophan and green tea extract. Green tea, when combined with L-tryptophan, supplies the essential amino acids which help stimulate the production of serotonin. Serotonin plays an important role in maintaining calm and relaxation in animals.
Every pet parent hates to see their pet upset, but going to the vet is essential when our dogs need veterinary care. Teaching them to trust the vet will make their annual exam and vaccines easier and it will also make a huge difference if they are ever seriously ill or injured. These simple yet effective tips are just an example of how small things can make a big difference to our pets before and during their visit to the vet.
