So today is the day of x-rays for Miss Maisie. I know it's going to be stressful for her and I can't distract her with treats as she is having a GA. Appointment was for 9.30am, great! No, we had to wait an hour before the vet came to get us. Maisie had cried and whined for a full hour, has not sat or rested just stood and stared at the vets exam room, oh and growled and barked at every cat, hamster and dog that came through the waiting room! So, by the time we were called in she was very stressed and there was no way the vet could examin her legs. So she decided to go straight on with the sedative injection....3 broken needles later, and one very stressed owner and vet : and very, very scared dog The vet then calls the nurses in for assistance, no go there. She then suggests that we use an IV line, WHAT???! Even the nurse looked shocked. I was eventually sent out of the room, not sure what they did, but they managed to inject her. We went and sat the in the x-ray room after that and waited for Maisie to fall asleep, which she did surprisingly quickly. Poor girl. Sitting at home now with a coffee, too early for wine :, waiting for a call to say I can come and get her. I feel like crying, how we are going to cope with the vets now is beyond me. This visit will have undone any good work we have managed to do with her fear of the vets/being handled. I feel like I have scared my dog beyond the point of hope. Will changing vets, help, I'm not sure? God forbid there is anything majorly wrong her legs/hips......
Re: Stress at the vets I'm so sorry that you and Maisie had a bad time at the vets What a shame that you had to wait so long. I don't think anyone would have felt anything but totally stressed in that situation. I know this'll feel like a big setback, but you will be able to regain lost ground. And, yes, I think a different vet might be worth thinking about - somewhere she's hadn't had a bad experience and where the vet takes time to try to relax the patients a bit. Fingers crossed that the xrays come up looking good.
Re: Stress at the vets So sorry you both had such a bad experience. I would definitely change vets; it doesn't sound like they behaved in the best interests of Maisie at all. She won't have a negative association with a different place, either, so it will be easier to start building her confidence again.
Re: Stress at the vets Ack. I'm so sorry to hear this. How dreadful. My vet allows a small handful of treats before a sedation to distract the dog - he just approves how much can be used (not a lot, so the have to be eked out). Poor Maisie....I'd be voting with my feet, for sure. I bet you are beside yourself with worry. But Maisie will be soon back with you, and dogs forget about things and are happy again, they don't dwell on things (until they return back to where something horrid happened, of course, but starting afresh with a new vet and making sure she has positive experiences might definitely help).
Re: Stress at the vets Thank you, I just didn't know what to do with my self and OH just says "relax" :!!!! Just had a call to say she should be ready to pick in an hour.
Re: Stress at the vets You poor things Fingers crossed all is well ! I would definitely be considering a new vet if only to break the association. My dogs are at different vets which I think could prove beneficial if I need to take them somewhere different I already know the vet and I'm already a good (paid-up anyway ) customer.
Re: Stress at the vets I would definitely be researching another vet. Poor you and Maisie, stress is the last thing you need. Hope the x-rays are fine. Just enjoy cuddles when you get her home and try to forget about the morning - she will have.
Re: Stress at the vets I think I would consider changing vets and then introducing her to the new vet when she is well and taking it very slowly. I have worked for three vets and I was suprised you had three broken needles! We have had very nervous dogs but never had a problem with giving a sedative to that extent. Another vet may handle your dog more gently. You could in the future, if she needs another x-ray or op, ask the vet for a sedative pill and give it to her at home so by the time she is at the vet she is already relaxed.
Re: Stress at the vets Poor you and poor Maisie, I really hope she is OK and that you have recovered. New vets without a doubt, they sound awful. You can gently introduce Maisie to a new vet, explain her fears and past experiences and I am sure they will let you just pop in to sit in reception regularly to desenitise her with lovely treats and then slowly you can move to the examination rooms. My lovely Vets are very understanding and treated Charlie in the car park when he was anxious and now he goes in no problem xx
Re: Stress at the vets Well, she is back home. The good news is her hips are great, the bad news is she has damaged both cruciate ligaments and has inflammation round the joints :'(. Thank god I took her in when I did, as the vet said she would have torn. So, we are on restricted exercise and go back to see the vet in 2 weeks. She has metacam to take. I had a horrible feeling that this was going to be the problem, having read Julie's posts about lovely Charlie. It could be a whole lot worse. Restricted exercise, jeeze! I need to get my head around how to stop her jumping on the furniture, our bed, etc, and generally being the lively 13 month old lab! Thanks for all your support.
Re: Stress at the vets Oh no! Although great about her hips. Are you going to see an orthopedic vet? If the cruciate is damaged such that there is swelling and a limp, you have to understand your options, and the likelihood of improvement from rest (which unfortunately is not often effective although improves things temporarily). Hugs to you, many hugs. Put Masie on a lead and shut doors between rooms. Take her into a room, upturn footstools (or whatever) on all the furniture you are not going to use. Sit down and then take her lead off.
Re: Stress at the vets Julie, the vet just said rest in the short term, but I'm not sure what that means yet. I'll have to ask more questions when we go back. Good idea on the furniture. We are open plan downstairs, except for one room, the lounge. I am going to need to get the baby gate back out again, so that she can be left alone.
Re: Stress at the vets Well at least this mornings stress has highlighted the problem. Great news that her hips are fine but not so good news on the cruciate ligaments. Just take a deep breath on the restricted exercise, lots of us have been there or are still there and you will cope. the more positive you can be and plan, the easier it is to get through - and that doesn't mean your dog doesn't want to bounce off the ceilings sometimes
Re: Stress at the vets I'm glad Maisie is home with you Harley became very fearful of my vets after her emergency spay, but I still use them. The vet who diagnosed then spayed her is no longer there, but Harley did see her once after the op and managed to slip her collar to get away from her. I spent over 2 months popping into the vets randomly, sitting in reception, weighing her, going in to get a treat etc. every time the nurses and receptionists would get on the floor with her. One of the nurses let us go in the treatment rooms, a few times alone with the door open, then came in and shut the door. She sat on the floor with Harley and we just chatted. After a few weeks of doing this (they never charged me either ), Harley is more relaxed, not brilliant, but it is now tolerable. Sorry to hear about her cruiciates . I'm sure it will be hard work keeping her calm, but you will manage. Lots of kongs xxx
Re: Stress at the vets Only just read this. So sorry you had such a horrible time this morning and that there is a problem with Maisie's cruciate ligaments (good news about the hips though.) Fingers crossed the rest and metacam does the trick. My last dog was very frightened of the vet. I used to leave him in the car, go in to let them know I was there and then they'd come out and call us in when ready, so at least there was no waiting around.He was also better with one particular vet so tried to see him. Is there another decent vet near you that you could try?
Re: Stress at the vets [quote author=Debs link=topic=10757.msg160129#msg160129 date=1430402989] Julie, the vet just said rest in the short term, but I'm not sure what that means yet. I'll have to ask more questions when we go back. [/quote] You have to take everything I say bearing in mind the caveat that I have watched for cruciate damage for so long now that I'm pretty much hysterical about it. And I'm just a pet owner, so repeating all knowledge second hand. But still, do consider see a specialist orthopeadic vet. I honestly believe time is critical in cruciate damage - it's rare for dogs not to already have osteoarthritis by the time surgery is decided on. But maybe I misunderstood...has the vet made a firm diagnosis? If so, damaged cruciate ligaments don't get better - they get worse. They don't heal up with rest, it's degenerative - micro tears build up and build up until the ligament fails. So with a firm diagnosis of ligament damage, even if that's not a tear, there needs to be a plan. Some people do manage ligament damage by building up the surrounding muscles, keeping the dog on restricted exercise and so on - and scar tissue also builds around the joint which helps stabilise it. This though, risks worse arthritis and no-one I spoke to recommended this as a option for a young labrador that could most probably return to unrestricted exercise with surgery. Other dogs don't get treated, and just have intermittent lameness that becomes permanent in time, by which time if they have run around on on an unstable knee for years arthritis may be quite advanced. But maybe you don't have a firm diagnosis, and the vet wants to see what Masie is like after rest and examine her again?
Re: Stress at the vets Julie, I've been reading up on cruciate damage this afternoon and totally agree with you. I left the vets feeling less than happy with the info they had given me, so tomorrow I'll be back for clarification. If I hadn't asked about how much exercise, etc, I wouldn't have received it. It was difficult to talk to the vet, ask questions and deal with a excited, but drugged Maisie. This evening she is still crying and moaning after the GA, it's awful. I think she is very sore from being examined today as she seems to be more stiff than normal.
Re: Stress at the vets Ah, Debs, hugs. Charlie is always put out by a GA, but comes round very quickly. And yes, being arranged for all the x-rays leaves Charlie a bit sore, but fine the next day. Yes, go back and ask all your questions about what happens next, what they are waiting to see during this rest period, what exercise she should be on, and whether hydro is appropriate to guard against muscle loss (if the hind leg muscles reduce, any instability becomes worse). And maybe it'll be clear why they want to wait 2 weeks - perhaps the inflammation is confusing matters, or the damage might be very, very slight so they want to see her again to be sure. Charlie was mis-diagnosed by 2 vets before I saw a physio who sent me straight back to see a specialist ortho vet and from that point, things got better. I am extremely lucky that he became my regular vet as his practice is at the end of the road. He is fantastic. You can look up orthopedic referrals here: http://www.vetindex.co.uk/vetindex/orth_ref.htm If you ask for a referral, your vet is obliged to make it.
