Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 23
  1. #1
    Puppy JenDeHoet's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Bettendorf, IA
    Posts
    29
    Thanked: 20

    Training comfortability with Vet Visits

    Hello all!

    I feel like this is a weird request but we had a vet visit yesterday for my 4 month old and he was being a bit of a drama queen. Would not let the vet tech get a rectal temp or ear temp at all. He would fight the tech like he was being seriously injured. The vet tech attempted a calming restraint hold but still didn't help. She basically told me "you'll need to work on this with him at home as once he's full grown this will be very hard to manage at his visits."

    What suggestions do you have to help with getting a puppy comfortable with this kind of behavior?? The tech's comment kind of unnerved me as we have been working with him a lot as he grows through these critical months.

    As a background for all before replying; This is his 3rd ever vet visit; 1st two went super smooth no issues with vet or vet tech handling him, the Vet actually loves to snuggle him for a bit as he's a lover. This visit we did have a different vet tech than normal. But this is also the first time a rectal temp has ever been tried (he went in to check for being sick). We have been socializing him and he does very well with other people handling him...again he is a massive lover so the more pets the merrier. We have been working on him laying down and us touching/rubbing his paws in preparation for toenail clippings, and playing with his ears to get him used to that as he will be around kids eventually. His older brother was always very calm as a puppy at the vet so this is just a little different experience for us.

    But above and beyond that what else can we do? I'm not to keen on practicing rectal temps with him at home but if that is what we need to do as well we can.
    Thank you all!
    Last edited by JenDeHoet; 12-20-2017 at 10:05 AM.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Carolina in my mind..
    Posts
    6,391
    Thanked: 4178
    I'm not sure how to do this either. Our daughter's dog had a complete conniption fit as a 4-6 month old puppy getting a rectal temperature taken. The vet's office person told them the same thing, something along the lines of, "Oh, you're going to have to work on this at home or she'll be too hard to deal with when she comes to the vet. She' is trying to bite us." My daughter called me in tears because they had suggested her sweet little puppy was an aggressive monster. We got a lot of good laughs trying to figure out the best way to acclimate a puppy to having her rectal temp taken. "OK, start practicing with a toothpick, then move up to a matchstick, then try a mechanical pencil, then try a Sharpie..." We got pretty crazy with suggestions, of course, none of which were tried and the pup never had another issue at the vet's office with getting her temperature taken.

    For toenail clipping, probably all you can do is repeatedly play with his feet and toes, getting him more accustomed to having them handled. Some dogs still despise getting their nails clipped. I think one of the breeders on here even takes one of her dogs to the vet to get his nails done because he's so difficult to do at home. If a breeder has difficulty, what hope is there for us regular folks?

    In my own opinion, short of doing what you're doing, I don't know what else to try and I think the vet's staff should maybe be better trained in making the little beasts comfortable and not saying such idiotic things to the new owners.

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to smartrock For This Useful Post:

    JenDeHoet (12-20-2017)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    8,136
    Thanked: 5108
    Why did he need his temperature taken? do you think he is sick? I do take my dog's (and cats') temperature with a rectal thermometer if I think they are sick.

    I don't let the Vet or Techs clip toenails, I can do it better and with less stress.

    I suggest NEVER letting the Vet give him the nasal spray kennel cough. There is an oral version now. Oban was fine with our first Vet till he got that spray up the nose. OUr current Vet will not give it solely because of the dog's reaction to the nasal. Actually, I don't get it at all.

    I agree, don't practice the rectal temp. Otherwise, getting him used to being handled is about all you can do, along with doing as much as you can yourself. I tmight not work, some just don't like to be handled by strangers and you can hardly invite the TEck to live with you.
    Hidden Content

    Castilleja's Dubhgall Oban, the Black Stranger of The Little Bay
    Oct. 15, 2007 - June 13, 2021
    Oxtongue Rapids Park. Oct. 2019 Hidden Content

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to Snowshoe For This Useful Post:

    JenDeHoet (12-20-2017)

  6. #4
    Puppy JenDeHoet's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Bettendorf, IA
    Posts
    29
    Thanked: 20
    Why did he need his temperature taken? do you think he is sick? I do take my dog's (and cats') temperature with a rectal thermometer if I think they are sick.


    Yes we took him in for concerns of being sick as he'd been having diarrhea over the weekend. They ended up foregoing the temp all together.

  7. The Following User Says Thank You to JenDeHoet For This Useful Post:

    Snowshoe (12-20-2017)

  8. #5
    Puppy JenDeHoet's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Bettendorf, IA
    Posts
    29
    Thanked: 20
    Quote Originally Posted by smartrock View Post
    I'm not sure how to do this either. Our daughter's dog had a complete conniption fit as a 4-6 month old puppy getting a rectal temperature taken. The vet's office person told them the same thing, something along the lines of, "Oh, you're going to have to work on this at home or she'll be too hard to deal with when she comes to the vet. She' is trying to bite us." My daughter called me in tears because they had suggested her sweet little puppy was an aggressive monster.

    In my own opinion, short of doing what you're doing, I don't know what else to try and I think the vet's staff should maybe be better trained in making the little beasts comfortable and not saying such idiotic things to the new owners.

    AHH good to hear I'm not the only one!!!! My pup has been an amazing pup so far, very friendly and has trained on simple commands quickly, he's taken the ear temp before fine so not sure why he was against it this visit, probably because they tried rectal first. He's actually my 2nd now and my 1st never went through these issues with the vet he was very calm so this is a new parenting experience. The way she said it just made me feel inadequate. Our puppy also doesn't like to be held down so the vet tech trying to restrain him was not helping anything at all in my opinion.

  9. #6
    House Broken jertom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    northern ohio
    Posts
    149
    Thanked: 53
    Socialize. The more comfortable he is with people petting and touching him the better he'll be with the vet. Take him to the stores with you. Does the vet have a tech in the room? One of their jobs is to distract the dog. Is this happening? Rocky loves to go to the doctor, the tech gives him peanut butter on a stick while the doctor checks him out. And let's face it; anything rectal will be uncomfortable.
    Why if you're having these problems would you ask the vet to trim nails? Do it at home! If he's going to give you attitude (and he will) he'll be worse with a stranger, be patient and work with him.
    And remember you're talking about a 4 month old for pete's sake; I agree with smartrock; comments like that from anyone in the vet's office would make me wonder if I'm spending my money in the right place.
    Give him lots of love.....6 months from now he'll be totally different.

  10. #7
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Ellicott City, MD
    Posts
    6,626
    Thanked: 3641
    Quote Originally Posted by smartrock View Post
    I'm not sure how to do this either. Our daughter's dog had a complete conniption fit as a 4-6 month old puppy getting a rectal temperature taken. The vet's office person told them the same thing, something along the lines of, "Oh, you're going to have to work on this at home or she'll be too hard to deal with when she comes to the vet. She' is trying to bite us." My daughter called me in tears because they had suggested her sweet little puppy was an aggressive monster. We got a lot of good laughs trying to figure out the best way to acclimate a puppy to having her rectal temp taken. "OK, start practicing with a toothpick, then move up to a matchstick, then try a mechanical pencil, then try a Sharpie..." We got pretty crazy with suggestions, of course, none of which were tried and the pup never had another issue at the vet's office with getting her temperature taken.

    For toenail clipping, probably all you can do is repeatedly play with his feet and toes, getting him more accustomed to having them handled. Some dogs still despise getting their nails clipped. I think one of the breeders on here even takes one of her dogs to the vet to get his nails done because he's so difficult to do at home. If a breeder has difficulty, what hope is there for us regular folks?

    In my own opinion, short of doing what you're doing, I don't know what else to try and I think the vet's staff should maybe be better trained in making the little beasts comfortable and not saying such idiotic things to the new owners.
    OMG...please don't stick anything like that up your dog's butt. The thermometer itself is smooth and slim and probably won't break...unlike some of these suggestions. I sure hope whoever came up with that wasn't serious. Just practice with a thermometer.

    I've had one cat whose temperature couldn't be taken but never had a dog with this issue. They may not have liked it a whole bunch but they tolerated it. We now just say "your butt's going to beep" when it's temperature taking time. (I came up with that when I was taking Sunnie's temp so often pre/post whelping.)

  11. #8
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Eastern Ontario Canada
    Posts
    3,336
    Thanked: 2070
    was the rest of the visit good? and puppy shots went well (previous visits)? ONLY the rectal temp was an issue?

    puppy-hood has fear periods. I wonder if that was just a really bad day...

  12. #9
    Puppy JenDeHoet's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Bettendorf, IA
    Posts
    29
    Thanked: 20
    Quote Originally Posted by Tanya View Post
    was the rest of the visit good? and puppy shots went well (previous visits)? ONLY the rectal temp was an issue?

    puppy-hood has fear periods. I wonder if that was just a really bad day...

    Yes!! After they gave up on the temps he was happy go lucky and bouncing around the room all things forgotten. This is his 3rd vet visit total as a new pup and he was a little angel the first 2, took the ear temp with no problems as well as shots and all. This was the first attempt ever at a rectal temp though so most likely a shock.

    I just want to make sure there isn't something I'm missing the way the vet tech made it sound I wasn't working on things well enough with him. Very frustrating.

  13. #10
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Carolina in my mind..
    Posts
    6,391
    Thanked: 4178
    Quote Originally Posted by SunDance View Post
    OMG...please don't stick anything like that up your dog's butt. The thermometer itself is smooth and slim and probably won't break...unlike some of these suggestions. I sure hope whoever came up with that wasn't serious. Just practice with a thermometer.
    Oh gosh, no! We were just pulling stupid suggestions out of thin air to help our daughter see how ridiculous it was that the vet tech suggested they go home and "get her accustomed" to having things stuck up her behind. I don't think I've ever taken one of my dogs' temperatures in the 30+ years we've had dogs. That's the vet's job- and I'm a nurse so it's not like I don't know how to do it!

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •