Staying with your dog at the vets

Tilley had her last antibiotics yesterday which means she will be heading back to the veterinarians for another urine analysis, she had a bladder infection. Going to the vets is not fun for her for several reasons but the first because they will stick a needle through her stomach and into her bladder. If you have never witnessed this procedure you will have a new respect for your dog once you have. Tilley is tough, much tougher than I would be.

Next Tilley will be in a state of panic until we leave the building, this is caused by the fact that she thinks I'm leaving her there. Its not easy to get her into the building and once in she shakes uncontrollably wanting to crawl inside of me the whole time. I remain calm and try to ignore her so as not to fuel the fire but it doesn't matter what I do really. The only thing I can do for her is not leave her.

And not leave her is what I try to do. Not an easy job at the vets and as I set to leave each time I prepare myself for the inevitable battle. I have had many very bad incidents at the vets, not one particular vet but differnt ones. The worst incident and undoubtedly the trigger for my behavior now was when a vet tech let Tilley escape from an enclosure that should have been secure.

I had Tilley in for an ear cleansing, the vet took Tilley out back and gave her to a tech to flush her ears. I already had a bad feeling in my stomach but chalked it up to being an overprotective Mom. Left to sit alone in the examining room I could hear some turmoil going on outside my door. My vet didn't come back and all I heard from an almost hysterical voice on the other side of the door was she ran across the road. I ran out to the lobby and demanded to know what happened. Everyone just looked at each other with dread.

My blood was starting to boil, you really don't want to mess with my dogs, honestly. I started to scream "was it a poodle?" "was it a poodle?" Finally someone said yes and I charged out the front door frantic. We were on a very busy street at noon. I couldn't see her anywhere and my voice was already horse from screaming for her. I ran back into the building and demanded to know which way she went.

To make a long story short, Tilley found her way home. It truly was a miracle as we had only lived in this area for 2 weeks and never walked it until this day but just like Lassie she found her way home. The vet never did come back to talk to me, no calls, no apologies. And each time I drive by that vets I see the gate in the back that was meant to contain my terrified dog left open still to this day. So this is the reason Tilley does not like to go to the vets and the fact that I did leave her again at another vets when she was spayed.

So, now when I go to the vets I will not allow them to take my dogs anywhere that I do not go. It actually bothers me that they even think that this is a good idea. The last time I ran titers on my dogs I let them know the second I was in the door that I had to stay with them. They were fine with that and when I pushed it and said I would do the holding they were a ittle irked. You all know the techs do the holding but just imagine how your dogs feel about that. A total stranger wrapping their arms completely around your dog and squeezing tight. Its actually awful to put our dogs through this.

The first to have her blood taken my little Jack Russell and the tech held her tight as I tried to get Luke under control so that I could do the holding. She said she was fine doing it but I could see the tell tale signs of Jessie's stress level as she wiggled to get out from the grasp of this woman. I had to be a little forceful but after Jessie was in my arms she was much calmer and allowed the other tech to draw her blood.

I would like to have things changed at the vets so that being there to comfort your dog in a stressful time in common procedure. And not have to fight and argue my way each and everytime my dogs need to have something done to them. Now I know there are people that don't have the stomach to do any of that, they'd much prefer that the vet take them away and do all the nasty stuff out of sight out of mind. But shouldn't we have the choice? I wouldn't have never handed off my children at the doctors and waited in the waiting room, uhhhhh no.

Now Luke at the vets is another story I'll have to tell you about later.