During the pandemic, my vet clinic didn’t allow owners inside. We handed our dogs off to a Vet Tech, and stood outside waiting in the snow, or the rain, or the sun, and paced around the parking lot. We sat in the car and checked our phones. One vet told me some clients drove off on errands, not returning when their dogs were ready to be picked up.
I wasn’t thrilled about handing my dog off, but I understood. I have tremendous faith in my primary veterinary clinic, the Spring Green Animal Hospital, and appreciated their trying to keep everyone safe while providing good care for my pets. Skip tended to trot away without a backward glance, while Princess Maggie kept looking back at me. Why are you not coming? I had no way to answer her. I tried to forget knowing what the English-speaking Alex the African Grey Parrot said to his owner, Dr. Irene Pepperberg, when she had to leave him at the clinic overnight. “I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry.” Gawd.
Like most pet owners of a certain age, I’ve had a range of experiences with “the back room.” My clinic has both vets and vet techs I trust completely. They have always allowed me in the “back room” if I request it. Most procedures are done in the regular exam room anyway, so it’s rarely an issue. The UW Vet School Teaching Hospital graciously let me in to be with Skip, right after I got him, for an echocardiogram, but that’s very much not their usual policy. That’s part of why I had an internist do the next echo at another clinic. Because not all my experiences have been good.
Years ago, at a different clinic in Madison, I handed my Saint Bernard off to be treated for some truly horrible hot spots (an acute, painful form of dermititus). I sat in the waiting room until I heard him screaming. Literally screaming. I linebackered my way through a staff person who told me I couldn’t go into “the back room,” to find that the vet was shearing off not just his fur, but all the tissue involved. It would have been agonizing. I picked his 130 pound body off the table, (the dog, not the vet, although in hindsight . . .) ripped off the muzzle, snapped on the leash, and walked out. The clinic is still there, 50 years later, and I think of what happened every single time I drive by. Just a few years ago I took kitty Nellie to a different clinic to have an abscessed wound treated. Before I could stop them, they dug out the infection without any topical pain killer; she was so traumatized that she emptied her bladder every time I put her in her carrying case after that. Needless to say, she and daughter Polly started going to Spring Green Animal Hospital too.
All this is long-winded lead up to today’s topic, inspired by an article in Whole Dog Journal: “Veterinary Visits: It’s Important to Be There for Your Dog,” by Linda Case. In it, she argues that every clinic should allow all owners to be there with their dogs at all times. She quotes a study in France that found that heart rate and ocular temperature decreased when the owner was with the dog. The authors conclude that having an owner present is less stressful, and therefore better, for the dog.
On the other hand, you can find a raft of articles from veterinarians about the value of letting your dog be taken “to the back.” Click here to read just one.
My own veterinary GP, Dr. John Dally, told me that although the pandemic was hard on everyone in his clinic, in some ways it was so much easier to concentrate just on the dog in the clinic, while talking to the owner before and after the dog’s examination. I can get why that would be true. We humans can be pretty damn tiring, even the best of us. I always knew I was tired when seeing my own clients when I reverted to just training the dog, instead of training the owners to train the dog. Much harder stuff for sure.
But I’m glad I can go into the clinic now with my pets. I try to be an “easy” client, but the fact is, I’m still pretty picky about what happens to my dogs. For myself, I would only allow my dogs to be taken away by people I trust completely, with the exception of an emergency clinic when you simply have no other choice.
[Added 3/29] Here’s additional information: A study that found that dogs were not more difficult to handle when the owner was present, and showed more stress behaviors when they were absent. Thanks Collette from FB!]
You? I would love to hear about your opinion, as well as your experiences. Veterinarians and vet techs, please jump in!
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: One might ask, based on the photo below, if ewes have a problem with vaginal freshness.
The answer is, gosh, I don’t know. But I do know that once they’ve been shorn, they attack each other, as if in a National Geographic special about how much force the skull of a Rocky Mountain sheep can absorb without being concussed. According to my shearer, most of my ewe’s scent is in their wool, and once they are shorn they see each other as strangers. They back up and lunge forward, heads down, bashing each other so hard one worries about their health. Spraying them with the same scent right after they are shorn makes them all smell the same, and, in my flock anyway, decreases the violence once they are all together.
(And why this scent, you might ask? Because I was all out of any perfume except my one good bottle that I bought on an island off the coast of Scotland, and no way was I going to use that up on them. (I used up an ancient bottle of Taboo last year, which seemed somehow appropriate). I was in my local pharmacy to get some medicine, and this is all they had that was a scent that could be sprayed. So, there you go.)
You may remember that we are retired from lambing, but friend Donna is not. Here are two of her all-time cutest lambs, all Sienna brown with little white spots on their foreheads. They will lighten up considerably once they are older, but win the prize for adorableness now.
Cuddling with mom on a warm, sunny day.
Be still my heart, here are Skip and Maggie OFF LEASH on a walk together for the first time in a long, long time. Hallelujah. They are still not allowed to play together or work sheep, but they seem to be healing very well, so I am going to start easing them into it tomorrow. Of course, there is no “easing in” in terms of their movements as soon as they are off leash, but I can keep each session super short. I’ll send each on one simple outrun one session, then maybe a bit of driving the next. No splitting out a single so that they have to “quarter horse”. Tug play for a painfully brief period time. Gawd how I hate being the play police, but it I can get them truly sound again it’ll be worth it. Patience, Trisha, patience.
Not a lot of color out here yet is there? You can see why I, the color junkie, love the sunsets we’ve been having lately.
And the Amarylis blooming in the house.
But there are igns of flowers to come outside! Here’s a budding Snowdrop teasing me about all the color, and light, and warmth, to come.
I hope that this week you can savor what beauty is around you, no matter how small, while doing your best to make the world a better place for everyone. Be well.
lak says
The lambs are adorable, no spring weather here in MI this week, rain and snow, woke up to completely snow covered world this week…arghhh! Like everyone else, my dog saw the vet alone during the pandemic, I was not thrilled but those were the rules. While I trust my vet, it seems like during examinations questions open a variety of matters I may forget to mention or discuss, and I enjoy seeing my vet with the dog. Oh well…another thing that was disrupted by COVID. Glad things are returning to normal! Getting ready to take the dog for a walk with temps in the 20’s, at least we have sun today!
Frances says
Nearly 20 years ago I took Pippin-cat to the vet to have a sore paw treated. The vet examined it very carefully and gently, decided the problem was a shard of glass embedded deep between the pads, and told me they would keep him in and sedate him before attempting to remove it. “He is placid enough that we could probably do it without sedation and local anaesthetic” said the vet, “but it would not be fair or kind to take advantage of his good nature.” Nearly 20 years later I still trust the practice enough to let them take my animals to “the back” without me, not least because I know how the dogs especially can pick up on my own stress. And I still try to make appointments that might involve significant procedures with that same, extra gentle vet.
Kat says
D’Artagnan is confident enough that he goes in the back on his own. I know and trust the techs and D’Artagnan has told me he genuinely likes the doctor so I’m OK with that. It’s interesting as this is a new vet, our previous vet having died, at the same practice. He’s young, not long out of school; he’s still very reliant on the procedures and best practices that he was taught and not comfortable or confident going outside the box. I have a long and comfortable relationship with the techs and know they’ll handle even my critters that are difficult to manage gently and kindly. When D’Artagnan had an appointment for a discolored tooth he went in the back for the exam. The vet brought him back to tell me their findings and instead of immediately wanting to be with me and leave D’Art leaned on the vet and mooched treats and attention so I’m comfortable with how the vet treats my animals.
With Falkor we’re still getting to know him. I didn’t realize when we took him in for his first vet visit that he was afraid of going in buildings and has an absolute horror or small rooms. He’s fine coming in and out of my open plan house. We did get him into the exam room with a lot of treats and a small amount of dragging but there was no way he was going with anyone else into the back. There was no way he was going with me into the back. In the end a bunch of spray cheese on the floor and me on the other side of the door allowed the vet to examine him. For the vaccines he needed I lured him into position and fed treats while the tech injected him. The techs and I were both amused when the vet suggested that I’d need to find someone to work with Falkor on his confidence. It emphasized the fact that this vet doesn’t know me nor I him. That will come with time. We have a good beginning. I’m trusting him because my dogs like him (Falkor was claustrophobic not afraid of the people) and he’s respecting me because of the care I take of my animals. I still miss the previous vet though and all our years of working together for the health and well-being of my pets.
It was funny seeing your photo of snowdrops. Mine are long since gone I now have hyacinth and violets blooming and some of my fruit trees are beginning to bud so another week or so and I should have beautiful blooming trees. Your spring will fully arrive.
Elizabeth says
Many years ago I took my very good natured dog to a vet, and the technician put a slip leash on her and went “back” without a single question about how well she was likely to behave. After thinking about this for a second, I thought it was odd – and suspicious. So I bulldozed through the door, and sure enough. She and every other dog back there were ALL preemptively muzzled. I was furious and we left immediately. Ever since then my dogs do not leave my sight if there is any possible way to avoid it. Unfortunately it has gotten darn near impossible to find a vet that will let you even watch (webcam? window?) while they work on your dog, much less actually be present. This is incredibly frustrating.
Chris from Boise says
Perfect timing. I just spent two hours this morning “in the back” watching Obi under anesthesia for a dental procedure. One of the reasons I use this vet hospital is that they allow me to be present for everything (though not during Covid, of course). One ‘plus’ is that I speak his language. Our word for “kennel up” is “Den”; our word for “come on” is “This Way”. When wobbly from anesthesia, he was resistant to being led by the vet tech, but amenable when I asked him to “This Way” to post-op and “Den” into the post-op kennel for monitoring till he was fully awake and ready to go home.
I’m a calm and quiet person, and the vets and staff know my experience level. A hyper-ventilating, frantic owner might not be as welcome to observe procedures, as that might raise everyone’s stress levels – staff, dog AND owner. So, to use Trisha’s favorite phrase: “it depends”.
Who knew that most of a ewe’s scent is in her wool?! Thank goodness for vaginal fresheners – any scent in a pinch! Thanks for the lamb photos! What breed?
And here’s to Skip and Maggie – may they both be 100% sound soon!
Lisa Schroeder says
Our sweet boys have some regular experience with “the back room”. One because he has a liver condition and needs to have blood drawn every six month and the other because he suffers from chronic ear issues (both English Cockers). My dear vet has, with some frequency, permitted me in the back room, but to be honest, it can be VERY difficult to see them get into those ears to really treat them or stick my sweet old man to draw that blood. In addition, people ARE hard and I am not afraid to admit my reaction to their discomfort can be a distraction which, in turn, only makes the situation take longer. I am not normally nervous around pain, blood or medical care of any kind, but I find it so hard when I cannot use my words to explain what is happening that moment and that it is for the best. Of course my voice and touch can calm them and perhaps my presence is a help not a hinderance BUT, I have found a solution that seems to work for all of us (vet, tech, dogs and me!). It is none other than the ever wonderful CHICKEN! Any time we go to the vet our dogs get loads of treats throughout the visit and if they go into the back room, you better believe that vet/tech is armed with a big baggie of chicken and instructions to feed freely! My boys always come back with chicken on their jowls and tails a wagging. Not too different than our trips to Dunk’in post dentist when the kids were little! A spoonful of sugar is my motto!!!!
Thanks for your posts – they never, ever disappoint!
Nora says
My now deceased Great Dane was taken back to a vet and diagnosed with partially torn acl and hip displasia. After that she was never the same. When we moved they wrote in giant letters dangerous muzzle across her chart. No idea what happened back there. We now have two newfies and thankfully I’ve not had to leave them alone with the vet(it’s a different state and vet) I did during Covid when we got our first Newfie and was trying to find a vet have the person tell me I’d have to wait in the car and they’d take my puppy. Um excuse me?? I explained to her how and why that wasn’t acceptable thankfully I have my current vet. That being said I have seen her lose her cool when trying to get him to do something for agility. Needless to say we no longer do that with her.
Megan Landauer says
I got my German Shepherd during the pandemic when he was a year old and terrified of being off the farm for the first time. I met my Vet when she came to my house for his first visit. She and the clinic have been wonderful. Owners were allowed into the clinic with masking all around during the pandemic.
Knight Veterinary Clinic in Middleton.
Also I think Muzzles are ok very short term to take away a poor choice for the dog, with the dogs’s person present of course.
Charlotte Kasner says
It’s a tough one and, of course depends on the owner. Some animals are genuinely much more relaxed without their owner present and others not.
How I wish that more vets would embrace fear and force free handling. I don’t know about the US, but here in the UK, vets have soooo much to do now on courses that handling can only play a small rôle. It can be difficult to get vets to trust “hands off” handling and we don’t have the extra lay of vet techs. Also, there is no requirement for nurses to be qualified.
As a behaviourist, I often find it hard to get vets to liaise over cases never mind as an informed owner.
When I worked in veterinary practice, the emphasis was always on maximising restraint. Whilst I understand this, it can be really traumatic for animals and is never as good as trained cooperation. Many owners simply don’t understand that it is possible to train this and/or won’t put in the time, effort and cost of learning.
There is a long way to go.
Pamela says
As a cruising sailor who finds herself miles away from our regular vet when my dog needed care, this was a big issue.
When Honey broke a nail (luckily just painful and messy, not too serious), I took her to a vet near our Virginia anchorage. The vet wanted to take her to the back to finish cutting the hanging nail. I looked him in the eye and said, “I understand that this will hurt her and that she will cry in pain. And I know you’ll want your vet tech’s to hold her still. But I know she will be calmer with me here. And I promise not to get in the way.”
He looked at me for a beat. And then he said ok. Honey did cry once. But I was right there stroking her while the vet and his assistants did what they needed to do.
And I’m so glad.
I will never hesitate to advocate for being with my dog when they need a procedure. But I believe that expressing my desire in a way that also understood the vet’s concerns was key. I hope that people will remember to address a vet’s concerns when they insist on staying with their pet. It could make a huge difference.
msf says
Our vet clinic had us wait in the car during COVID, and “humans” are now allowed inside the building. But we are still required to stay in the exam room while the pets are taken “to the back” to be examined. My dogs went in last week, one for her yearly check up and the other for a 6 month check (for some health issues.) When the techs took them to the back individually, each of my girls trotted off as though it was time for an adventure. They came back all tail-wags and happy girls.
While I understand the vets doing exams in the back during the pandemic, I think that it’s time to return to the exam rooms. But I love my vet and the way she interacts with my girls, so I don’t complain. Besides, if they hadn’t gone with the techs for their exams, I would have totally missed a very sweet clue about them…
Piper (a Cavalier King Charles) is 7 years old, and Lola (a Westie) is 2. Piper has always been the “alpha” in their relationship. She acts like Lola is a pain and either ignores her or acts snippy with her. At the vet last week, when Lola was taken to the back, Piper whined and paced. Then the tech quickly switched out the dogs. When Piper was finished with her exam, she rushed to Lola, licked her face and acted like she was SO VERY happy to see her. I sat back, watching them, and I got a little choked up. This was the first time in two years that I’d ever thought that maybe, just maybe, they were on their way to becoming a bonded pair! Two years of trying to facilitate a good relationship between the two has finally seen a bit of success.
Anton says
I’m thankful that our wonderful vet always lets me go in with our dogs pandemic or otherwise. My presence makes the difference for all of them and determines whether sedation is needed to accomplish minor x-rays or if mom being there to hold our head is enough. My smallest dog is 100lbs so not having to wrangle them is a bonus for everyone! Interestingly, my dog with the most health issues LOVED going to the vet and the other with less issues, were more fearful about the whole process.
Wendy K says
For years after one bad experience, I took care to only take my pets to a clinic that allowed me to stay with them through all treatments. Especially since in the past I had a series of dogs with behavior issues who did much better in my presence.
I’m very thankful that the Fear Free movement has given us clinics (including our emergency clinic) where I could hand over my pets during the pandemic in confidence that they would continue to trustfully trot off with the tech and be returned to me in a calm and contented state. I have a fond memory of taking my cat to the ER for a mysterious pain that made her unwilling to move, and seeing the tech forego the usual tight hold and instead carry her into the back reclining in the bottom half of her travel kennel, looking like Cleopatra on her barge.
I hope that Skip and Maggie continue to heal and that your flock is over their identity crisis.
Weather in the Bluegrass has been a roller coaster between 30s and 70s. The crocuses and early daffs are done and the lilac blossoms are unfurling. Spring is headed your way too!
Susan says
Love this topic (and the lambs!)
I am most fortunate that my animals have been with the same clinic for 40 plus years (I’m old). The primary vet in the practice is now a dear friend. I have found over the years that any kindness you can show the staff helps. During COVID my husband and I bought the clinic staff lunch many times. People remember food! That said, I’ve helped ill friends over the years by taking their dogs to their vet. Multiple times I’ve (gently) said, I think you should look for a new practice. As owners, it’s on us to listen to our gut, and question things if they seem “off.” And one last thought: if I have a problem dog (and I do) I’m completely up front with my concerns. The LAST thing I want is for my crazy girl to bite someone. So I often, not always, muzzle my own dog. I’m calmer then too!
Jan Davis says
Our vet set up a tent outside. Clients were not allowed inside the building, but we could be with our dogs for exams in the tent with the flaps opened. It was such a positive way to deal with the pandemic and made me (and my dog) much more comfortable.
Regina R. Allen DVM says
I sure people will comment with horror stories on what’s happened with pets were taken to “the back,” but as a Vet, here’s the best explanation I can give as to why it’s a BAD idea. #1 – many, many pets are better without their anxious owners hovering and making their pets anxious. A few are calmer with their owners present so with those I’d try to do what I needed to do in the exam room, but they are few and far between. It does not help the technician concentrate on a blood draw when the owner is screaming “You’re hurting him!” because the dog struggled a little with the restraint because it’s not used to it. #2 – our insurance may not cover any incidents (i.e. bites) that may occur to the owner while “in the back.” So it’s not worth the potential of getting sued just to let the owner hover and try to pet Fluffy during a blood draw. And no, we cannot let you hold your dog during a radiograph and expose you to radiation. We wear those badges for a reason. #3 – owners don’t know how to restrain their dogs properly and I got tired of being snapped at or bitten because they just let go when the pet struggles. I almost lost an eye once and that was really not fun. We train our staff to properly restrain your pet for radiographs or a blood draw to prevent bites.
I apologize if I sound snarky or whatever here, but it is best for everyone’s safety that the Veterinarian and staff be allowed to do what they need to do without the owner’s involvement. And if the Vet says your pet needs sedation for whatever procedure (radiographs, blood draw, ear cleaning, etc.), please let them do it because it will be a much more pleasant experience for all involved. Lastly, if you don’t like the way the pet is handled in the exam room, then by all means find a clinic you trust. My animals have been patients too, so I understand the anxiety, and it is important to have a relationship of mutual respect with your Veterinary practice.
Mary Felt DVM says
As a veterinarian of 27 years, I will say the year of no humans in the clinic was the best year EVER! Humans walk into the clinic anxious and worried of what illness we might find on their beloved pets. They are nervous about their dogs interacting with other patients. The humans prevent their dogs from sniffing and even interacting with the staff. On a normal day when I walk into an exam room, the humans pull back on the leash as the dog tries to run up to sniff or greet. Most humans make the dogs fear me by just pulling that leash. With the pandemic, the whole atmosphere was relaxed. No nervous humans and the dogs could interact and sniff all the crazy smells in the clinic. I was able to get blood on dogs that I never could before. I had dogs take treats that would never take treats before. We made the clinic a fun place. We were able to make painful injections fun and rewarding with treats, play and the ability to sniff the clinic. Nothing rewards some dogs like the ability to investigate. It has been fun now to see the reactions of clients faces as their dogs are now excited to see me. I am now a friend.
Wendy K says
I’ll also step onto my cooperative care soapbox to say that once a vet sees how much easier it is to work on an animal who understands a system of communication for holding still while uncomfortable things are done, they are often happy to have the owner present to help with the handling. My ferocious cattledog mix allowed us to swab her nostrils three times, restrained only by a chin rest and the expectation of chicken from a bowl on the chair beside us. After that, the internist ordered me to be with her during pre-anaesthetic sedation when we returned for a CAT scan.
Carole says
I have been on both sides of this issue. Years ago I worked as a vet tech in a single doctor practice. There was no ‘take her to the back room’ then. Everything was done in the exam room with the owner present. There were definitely some pets who would have benefited from being separated from their over anxious, stressed out, or even hysterical owners! (One woman actually fainted while we were simply cleaning her dog’s ears.) These people clearly contributed to the dogs’ anxiety. On the other hand, I do not like having my own dogs taken to the back without me . I truly miss my now retired vet. He was such a calm and compassionate man with a wonderful understanding of dogs. My dogs loved him. With one notable exception, I’m sure they would have trotted into the back with him without a backward glance at me. I had one Whippet who would leap over the reception desk and run into Steve’s office to say hello! (The whole staff loved Justin T. Whippet.) My one exception was a rescue Pit mix who had no use for anyone but me. When I brought Fletcher in to be neutered, Steve let me stay while they put him under anasthesia, and be there when he woke up from the surgery. When I had to put my much loved Great Dane down, Steve offered to drive me home since I was so devastated I couldn’t stop crying. And I will never forget him weeping with me when we let our sweet Borzoi go. Steve has long since retired, and the animal hospital where I’ve been a client for over forty years has become a revolving door of new vets. Some of them have been wondeful, and some not so much. Taking my dogs and cats ‘to the back’ for even the simplest procedures has become standard procedure and I don’t like it. I am currently researching smaller vet practices, and my main criteria is ‘can I stay with my pets while they are being treated?’
Margaret Tucker says
I have used the same vet for over 20 years. My vet practice does not allow owners in the back, but most things are done in the vet’s office. I don’t worry because neither dog has shown signs of stress and I trust my vet and the techs. My vet is very good about communicating(when a previous dog who had a brain tumor coded during dental surgery, she called me immediately and kept calling to report his progress. He survived without further problems) It is a large practice, so I can understand why they restrict access to the back. It is also 24/7, so if a dog has a problem care is always available, the records are there, and my vet will follow up.
Deborah Mason says
So far our current dogs have only needed exam room stuff. Everyone at our clinic has been really good with them. I suspect during COVID, when we could not go in, they may have behaved better than with us. I’ve seen them “flip the switch” when they passed through a glass door into grooming salon & all the whining & pulling stopped. They know they can play us.
That said I know they are more comfortable when we are there at the clinic. Our older dog was pretty calm last time I was inside with him. For the first time. Ever. Maybe it was the change back to being allowed in with him. Now he knows it’s better with one of us with the vet?
Jan says
Many years ago, I owned a Papillon, Roscoe, that was experiencing numerous bladder infections. On this particular day the veterinarian took him into the back room to perform a cystocentesis. Shortly thereafter I heard him screaming in pain and after about five minutes the veterinarian brought him back to me and practically threw him at me while she said, “ I can’t get urine from this dog” as if it was Roscoe’s fault. I paid for the procedure and never went back.
Many years after that I had Papillon bitch in labor for far too long. I took her to a local vet after calling first. She tried to turn the puppy in the birth canal as it was a breech birth. This went on for far too long and then told me she needed a C-section which she could not perform because there was someplace else she needed to be. She also informed me that the puppy was probably dead. Again, I paid her fee and took my bitch, Demi, to another local vet who took her in immediately and delivered a very alive puppy who I worked on to get her breathing. The first vet had pulled off one of her toes. I named her after the veterinarian and veterinary assistant (Jewel) and she went on to become one of the highest ranked agility dogs competing in the US.
Suzanne Rogers says
During the Pandemic my vet was set up to allow you in with your pets while following safety protocols. I had a cat vet at the time that would not allow you in. You had to place your cat inside the carrier and leave it next to your car outside so that a tech would go out and take and bring the cat to you leaving them on the driveway next to your car. I didn’t appreciate that at all and transferred my cats to my dog vet. In August one of my dogs started having seizures and soon escalated to needing a neurologist. That office only allowed you in for the initial consult. After that I had to hand my dog to a tech and wait outside for the phone call from the vet. Though I understood I have never felt comfortable letting my dog go into to see the neurologist to be seen without me. Describing changes in his behavior is harder over the phone for me.
Jane Craig says
Covid restrictions were really tough. My beautiful, and beloved seven-year-old English Golden, Crispin, was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma based on an MRI done for unrelated and, fortunately, otherwise inconsequential problems (it found two tumors). This was in July 2020, and restrictions were in full force.
I spoke to the neurologist who performed the MRI, and subsequently, to the surgeon who removed the tumors–and finally to Crispin’s oncologist who treated him for a year–all from my cell phone in the parking lot of the specialty practice. This is where I learned his diagnosis, prognosis (very poor!), treatment options, results of various CT scans and ultrasounds, and much more, as is involved in treating this beast of a disease.
The oncologist, it turned out, told me the day before she left for maternity leave that she would be out for an unspecified period but that “coverage” would be provided. I told her months later, after she returned, how shocked I was to learn that she would be out for an unspecified long period with so little notice–since we had never met, I was not aware that she was pregnant–and I could tell that she did feel bad about that. The situation created a sort of impersonality.
During the time she was gone, my husband and I elected to receive care for Crispin solely through his primary practice–I could not abide the idea of sending him off in his vulnerable state to see yet another specialist.
He actually did quite well during those months.
What saved me (and Crispin)–emotionally I think–was the 23-years-long relationship we have with Crispin’s primary veterinary practice. His vet and all of the techs texted me, called me, and emailed me about how he was doing. They provided supplementary care on a moment’s notice (for nausea and other quality of life-type meds). The vet prescribed pain meds that Crispin needed after his surgery, until his body adjusted to the “dent” in his right side just below his ribs that happened when they removed so much tissue (he also had a splenectomy and the procedure that involves tacking the stomach in such way as to prevent bloat, which is apparently more common in dogs without a spleen). His vet explained to me that he likely had adhesions, and that their effect would “soften” in time.
His oncologist returned and we worked with her for a few weeks, and then in the summer of 2021, I finally met her, four days before we lost Crispin. She did warn me that one of the internal tumors looked larger, though she thought it was “more solid” and probably wouldn’t bleed. Unfortunately, it did.
I had so hoped his regular vet could be there for what I knew would be inevitable (but we got a year!), but “the bleed” happened over the Fourth of July weekend, and some pierced, tattooed young emergency veterinarian performed the euthanasia while my husband and I held Crispin, when it became apparent that he could not survive this “bleed” (I had so hoped…) In the end it was all about Crispin, anyway, and we were with him at least for that.
I’m only miserable that he spent his last night in that hospital instead of with me. I brought his meds and food, late, and they let me see him; he was still well enough at that point to wag his tail so hard that I cushioned the wall with my hand so he wouldn’t hurt his tail. I wish I had been able to crawl into his little space with him and stay the night…but of course that wouldn’t be allowed; they were kind even to let me into the back to see him.
So sorry to tell such a sad tale. But quite honestly the impersonal nature of his care was secondary to the certain knowledge that I would lose him. And his primary care team, although I could not see them either, of course, absolutely doted on Crispin, and send an amazing card with a photo of him on the front and little messages from each member of the practice (who all knew him). Despite the restrictions of Covid, there was still room for kindness and consoling.
Monika @ Tails Around the Ranch says
It’s terrifying to think some vets just think of business (i.e. bottom line) rather than compassionate care for individual pets. I can’t even imagine hearing what you heard with your St. Bernard. We all think our dog is the best dog in the world (and we’d be right) but to think someone who is employed to minister to their health needs who perhaps doesn’t brings the mama bear out in us. Who else will if we don’t? With my one epileptic dog, I’ve even stayed with the groomer so as to assuage my dog’s fears to the whole grooming process. It didn’t help keep her from seizing so I had to learn how to groom her poodle locks myself). It works but only because I’ve learned patience in the process.
Sandy says
Had to leave a local veterinary practice this past year as my corgi gradually became so stressed out that this normally rather high strung but super friendly girl would shake and consistently try to leave, pace the exam room, hide under chairs. The staff there wasn’t bad — but they felt this was normal and told me that other dogs were more stressed than mine. Found another local vet and clinic who use positive reinforcement, start every interaction with (owner approved) cookies, and had my stressed out dog calm and relaxed, even doing small tricks for the vet. Haven’t yet had any procedures done but hopeful, hopeful.
Janet says
I live near San Francisco and many of the vets are graduates of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine which incorporated behavior into it curriculum years ago. Over the years I’ve noticed a significant improvement in how the dogs and cats are handled at small animal clinic. Thankfully! Currently I only have one cat. Our general practice vet clinic is a cat only clinic which is certified feline friendly. They use force fee handling methods and even know what treats my cat prefers. The doctors understand the health issues of cats. I trust them to handle my cat to avoid a bad experience. My cat happily takes her treats while there. Her companion was quite happy with the attention she got while at the clinic. While I would prefer to be in the exam room, given the staff shortage vet clinics are dealing with in my area and that I trust the vet clinic doctors and staff I’m fine with not being in the exam room while Covid protocols are in effect. However, having had several horrible experiences with veterinary exams with my dogs and the cats. I don’t trust just any vet to handle my companions if I’m not present. Before settling on a vet clinic for the cats I took my well adjusted social cat to three clinics for an exam to assess the doctors’ knowledge and communication but just as important how the clinic handled it’s patients.
chris says
Regina and Mary DVMs -you may seem like good vets and have good reasons for not wanting owners in the back but there is horror story after horror story of vets not listening to owners and giving the dogs vaccinations they did not want and things done to dogs that they did not want or need. If every vet listened to their clients -whether they believed in what the owner wanted or not, then maybe people could relax more when their pets are taken away from them into the back room.
I have had 8 dogs and everytime my dog has gone to a back room with a vet (and they were all different vets) something has been given to them that was not asked for (vaccinations) or needed. I will only take my dogs to a vet who allows me to work with them in the back room. If not then I will drive until I find that one.
Lynn Ungar says
So good to see Skip and Maggie off leash–I hope you all can be fully back to the fun stuff soon. Piper has a vet appointment in a couple of hours, and I’m considering calling to make sure there’s not an issue with my being with her–their current COVID policy seems to be “one person at most.” Pretty sure they’ll want to do a senior blood panel, and there’s no way Piper is putting up with a blood draw without me there. Luckily, when I moved to town I had Dr. Chris Pachel to tell me what clinic would treat my dogs with great kindness, so I have faith in them.
Terrie says
My vet does most things in the office with the owner present, but does take pets to “the back” for blood draws. I believe they once had an owner faint at the sight. But, truthfully, I would not go to a vet where I didn’t feel comfortable with them taking the dog out of my sight.
Lorie says
I should start by saying I trust my vet implicitly. Having been there for various reasons more than 40 times in the last couple of years (I counted once), we’ve gotten to where we can basically read each other’s minds. I really missed getting to see her and all the staff in person during curbside service but we emailed and spoke on the phone often.
So I don’t know what I’d do in another clinic, but I feel perfectly comfortable sending my pups to the back here. My older guy who sadly passed in November was super cooperative in general and adored everyone at the clinic, so going to the back never bothered him in the slightest. We called him the Mayor of [Clinic] because he’d stroll in, make his rounds, visit everyone, and go straight to the treat jar like he owned the place. 🙂
I have a younger, fearful dog now, and when I’m with her in the exam room she is so anxious she won’t let anyone else near her. When I hand off her leash and she walks through the door, though, she’s like a whole different dog. Last time we were in I asked the vet if she was in a shutdown state or just genuinely all right and she said seriously, her confidence is so much higher without you. She’s more than fine back here.
The tech actually brought me to the back during that visit to show me something and I saw my girl acting totally chill, just like at home. When she saw me, though, her entire demeanor changed. She really seems to use me as a crutch when we’re together there.
My anxiety feeds hers, and we’re working on it, but I trust my vet and her staff to treat my beloved pets just like her own – so I’m never worried when they are out of my sight.
Wyatt says
I am very hesitant to allow my dog to go “in the back” without me. I have a slightly nervous dog who goes full-on fearful at the vet. But what really astounds me is that the vet has no idea how to deal with this! Anyone who knows anything about dogs (let alone a supposed expert!) should understand looming over them cooing, pulling them closer using the leash, and force feeding are not likely to relax a fearful dog. I saw this the time I insisted on being present for the appointment, and have to assume that more totally oblivious and/or harmful behavior is going on when I’m not present. (Not wanting to be labeled Covid insensitive or just difficult, I’ve gone with the flow most times.) I’m lucky to have many vet options near me, but of course when the need for a vet arises it’s usually not a great time to swap providers.
Tamasin says
An additional perspective. This happened (really) a generation ago:
Sweetie the cat fell from a second story onto a tire below. At least that’s what we guessed when my kids found her in the rubber ring alive but paralyzed from the neck down. The 8-year old owner and I rushed her to the vet, talking about the likely outcome on the way. “I want to hold her,” said my daughter.
Okay, I agreed. Not only was it important for Sweetie to feel comforted, but my daughter could then feel she’d done all she could up to the last moment, a comfort to her as well. Of course, she’d cry .. who wouldn’t .. but we both already were, anyway. Knowing that you did everything you knew how to do at the time helps with life’s losses, and my daughter would see that Sweetie’s death was soft and painless.
“This animal needs to be put to sleep,” said the vet, using terrible word choice in front of a child. “I’ll take her to the back. She won’t suffer.” But my daughter, who herself as a baby had screamed through painful treatments, while hospital policy kept her mother outside the door, felt that yes, Sweetie would. Sweetie’s moments between leaving familiar arms until her death would be full of fear. “I want to hold her,” she said.
The vet was aghast, affronted, and extremely firm. “Absolutely not!” he glared to a startled little girl who was trying from depth of love to be responsible. “What are you thinking!” he thundered at me.
On the spot we scooped up Sweetie. “Thank you, but no. I’ll pay our bill on our way out.” While I wrote my check, the young office woman’s face contorted with aggression. “What kind of monster mother are you? You shouldn’t even be allowed to have children!” My daughter looked on. Waiting patrons stared.
We were back in the car again. Now what?
We took Sweetie to the “hippie” vet in the next village. He offered Sweetie water. She lapped eagerly. Her offered her food on his finger. She licked. Then he examined her. “You know, young cats are funny. Some of them can recover from this sort of injury even though it looks impossible. This one’s eating and drinking and seems to want to live. She’s not in any pain, if you want to just take her home and see what happens.”
So we did. It took a year, but Sweetie recovered completely, living a happy, catly life (indoors) for many years, although the last inch of her tail always drooped.
The “take-her-to-the-back” vet eventually sold his practice, and when he later returned to town, he was in a mobile van, offering to come to your home for loving, sensitive, fear-free euthanasia. I never did contact him, but it just goes to show, thinking of my now-grown daughter, that as you simply go around living your life the best you can, you never know where your influence might end up.
Jen says
Wow.so glad to hear from the vets on this thread. I will keep this in mind in next visits to the vet and focus on being calm. My vet practices holistic vet medicine and this translates to the way the rooms are laid out. No exam tables. Just dog beds and cat trees. Smd ricking chairs for the humans. And both my dogs LOVE going to see Dr. S. They BOUND through the doors, tails wagging, ready for their pets and treats. Somehow they forget about shots, blood draws, and uncomfortable probes. She also let’s me book back to back appointments so that they can be together and offer each other comraderie and comfort. Even after we moved we still make the 4 hour round trip because they love her. Oh and she’s a damn good vet!
Barb says
We have a very difficult dog who we can restrain and muzzle for handling, but no one else can. He came to us this way…. We are having a heckuva time finding a vet who is willing to work with us for a dental for him! If we hand him over and leave they will NOT be able to put him under for the procedure. If we muzzle him he can walk into the back with them but as soon as they place him into a cage he will remove his own muzzle and it’s the same situation. We fully realize he’s not an easy, in and out patient but he DOES still require veterinary care. We’ve been training and showing dogs and working with rescue for over 35 years so are fully able to restrain a dog but apparently we’re lumped into the same category as the hysterical owners who freak at a blood draw. Sigh.
Anna Shepard says
I’m in human medicine. Have had dogs for over 25 years. In human medicine scientific studies have concluded that it is best for the patient and caregivers to be allowed to be present for each other during care. That includes codes in the ER.
Being with my dog during difficult and possibly painful and confusing times is essential. I insist on being with them.
I am their mother, their caregiver. They trust me to give appropriate signals so that they can interpret situations.
It is my job to accompany them on difficult journeys.
Molly says
I completely disagree with my animals being separated from me. I have three different vets. I’ve been with two of the practices for over 20 years. The third one I had started in 2019 mostly because of their holistic views on health care. They were also certified fear free. But once Covid hit, that all went out the door.
I don’t know about elsewhere but the majority of vets in my county still do not allow in person visits. Why? What is the rationale?
I learned that at one of the practices I used, my animals were being taken from me & crated- they were not seen immediately. Then I realized that so much was getting lost in translation from me to tech who took the pet, to vet, and then from vet to me. And, as someone else commented, since I wasn’t present, I wasn’t able to comment or ask questions based on what was occurring.
I am currently seeing the vet who has allowed in-person appointments since the end of 2020. Since I met her two plus decades ago, she has been the one to teach me in animal care & invited me to watch procedures.
I get that there are anxious owners, but a great vet should know that’s part of the package. We don’t ask anxious parents to stay out of the exam room; why would we ever ask a pet’s companion person to stay out? Educate not exclude.
BARB STANEK says
Oh what a conundrum. I had one dog who had three surgeries on three different limbs before he was two. All were done by people whom I trusted completely. He learned to love every vet clinic and person who smelled like one. He never resisted going with a vet employee, and always came smiling back to me as if he’d been on a fun outing.
However, I have had other dogs who were not as happy to be taken away from me. I did my best to stay with them, no matter what.
The second last vet that I had loved my dogs. She was such a treat for them that they started winding up to see her when we pulled in the parking lot! I finally had to ask her to tone down her greeting a bit, or I was going to be entering the clinic like a sled behind my obviously joyful dogs!
Now we have a new vet. The adventure begins again. I am hoping for a good experience.
LisaW says
For the past fifteen or so years, we’ve been fortunate to have vets who provide housecalls as part of their practice. Although, the down side is when the “back room” is your kitchen floor for an emergency surgery on a hematoma! (Note to self: vet tech is not on your list of talents.)
They vets have all been female (my preference) and have been associated with a bricks and mortar practice, if needed. It’s worked out well for the most part as long as we’re on top of what’s needed when and proactively schedule appointments (it’s also been a much-appreciated service when we reach that moment).
All was well until last summer when Olive needed a dental exam, cleaning, and most likely some extractions (thinking of you, Obi). We booked the appointment, dropped her off as per Covid protocol (it’s even more traumatic for Olive due to her issues with crates, strangers, and smell sensitivity). I got a call about 40 minutes later from the surgeon saying they could not begin the exam or cleaning due to her high temperature (104°F)! They took it three times to make sure they were getting an accurate reading. To our knowledge, Olive did not have a temperature, and she seemed fine albeit nervous.
I went right back to pick her up and was instructed to take her temp (haha) twice a day for a few days and keep an eye on her. Well, that night her temp was just below normal as it was for the next few days. I must say she was a champ about letting us insert an anal thermometer having such issues with her butt and stump.
Apparently, she was shaking so hard for so long that her body temperature rose to such a high degree. I’ve asked other vets, and they said it’s possible but not common (how many times have we heard that when discussing Miss Olive).
We did reschedule and started her on a mild tranquilizer beforehand and that seemed to allay the high temperature but not the anxiety. Poor girl was in surgery for over three hours! We could call but we couldn’t even go in the lobby—excruciating. I can only imagine what it’s like for the vets and the vet techs—so much anxiety over Covid, anxious owners, anxious animals, lack of face-to-face communications. Ugh.
Instead of Eve, it’s Ewe: A scent to be recognized
Sue says
Had to take my rescue boy to the emergency vets recently. after examining him they wanted to take blood and suggested I leave him there and they would call me once they had blood results. I asked if instead I could just stay with him, so glad I did! Yes, they briefly took him out for the actual blood drawing, but then we just waited in the waiting room, and he happily rested on his travel bed that I had brought along… I know he would have found it really stressful to wait in the kennel in the backroom and it was completely unnecessary… Based on this I’ve also become a bit bolder in asking our own vets if I can stay with him for procedures…
I’m sometimes torn by wondering if my dog will associate me with the painful or unpleasant procedure, but I think on balance, he’s probably less stressed when I’m there…
Ellen Olander says
I have used the same vet for almost 20 years & in the past I have been allowed into the back with both my own animals & many of the rescue animals that I took to them. I could be there for procedures, ultrasounds, visit animals after surgeries, etc. However, once they became a “corporate vet practice,( I won’t name the Corp.,) that was discouraged, then not allowed. Then Covid happened & the parking lot & phone became the norm. I understood completely as I trust my vet. Yet more corporate changes happened & now they insist all animals must be current on rabies, no matter their age. When I was first told this, I was bringing a 13 yr old cat & a 7 yr old cat in for exams, then later dentals & a 14 yr old cat who is hyperT. I was told the new policy was to protect their staff if a cat bit them, that while all my cats are total inside cats not exposed to rabies, I was told that a “bat” could fly into my house & possibly bit one of my animals, so it was required. I got the vet to agree to not vax my hyperT cat, but agreed to rabies for the other 2. The vet told me they had lost a few clients because of the policy & hoped they wouldn’t lose me. They haven’t yet, but…I am seriously considering finding a cat only vet as I have 3 15 yr old cats & I refuse to give them another rabies. I will consider titers, but the vet charges an arm & a leg for that. So now that I am allowed back into the client & here covid restrictions have been lifted & I am the only one wearing a mask inside, they still take my animals to the back room while I wait in an exam room. I have lots of conflicting opinions about all this & don’t know where I will be in the future.
Jett says
I think a lot depends on the dog. Jester does much better in the back without me. He is a fear biter if I’m present but tolerates just about anything if I’m not and comes back happy and relaxed. Go figure! (I know it’s probably fear-related shutting down, but he comes back happy so I don’t think it’s particularly traumatizing for him.)
My other dogs, I much prefer to be present. Rowan did fine during the pandemic with going in the back without me. Tazer not so much, but he was traumatized with a blood draw by a tech who was new & a temporary Vet and if I didn’t trust the regular Vets at this clinic I’d have been out of there! I was so mad.
My old dog, Kiva, would tolerate anything if I was there, including a blood draw from his jugular, but would *beg* not to go anywhere without me. This was true for anything, though, not just the Vet’s. If you called him to you, he’d go gladly but you couldn’t take his leash & lead him anywhere away from me.
I think I’m a pretty good human at the Vet’s too. Rowan & I often searched for treats (she did Nosework) in the exam room while waiting for the doc and everyone gets treats & pets while we wait.
Trisha says
Tamasin: Wow. That’s about all I can say now, except thank you for sharing this story! Wow.
Jan says
After allowing the vet techs to take my 100% loving Golden in to examine his ear for infection then returned to me with a nasty cut on his ear, I said never again. I had used this vet for over 10 years. Found a vet who allows me to be there now. Hearing way too many similar stories from clients and friends.
Lorraine says
Years ago I took my puppy into the vet for a microchip, and let them take him into the back. A few minutes later I could hear him screaming from the waiting room. I regret that I didn’t go in and rescue him. 20 minutes later they brought him back, bleeding all down his shoulders. The microchip was in but for the rest of his life it took multiple people including me to restrain him for vaccinations (at a different clinic). As soon as he saw a needle it was game over.
Jennifer Skiba says
Right or wrong I view my dogs like I view children. Trusting us to take care of them and be their voice. Would I allow a Dr. to exam my child without me present if it wasn’t a life or death emergency? No. I would not. I would be in the exam room with my child and I feel the same way about my dogs. I hated curb side service during the pandemic and used it sparingly.
Barbara says
It’s tough being a vet. We ask our patients to tolerate procedures they aren’t trained to understand .. we can’t always provide pre visit drugs to help them cope and owners usually expect us to “handle” them? Unless emergency…nope, go home and come back with meds on board, and be prepared for additional heavy sedation plus hospitalization to monitor recovery and ensuing costs. Until all patients are taught cooperative husbandry care that’s the reality. We have peanut butter, cheese whiz, quick negative reinforcement training sessions but no magic wand. As for the hot spot treated with inadequate pain control 50 years ago… pain control at that time was in the dark ages and the vet was doing the best he knew. We have so many forces pulling us in so many directions, and owners can be so vicious and quick in their judgment when things don’t go as we wish. We are all doing our best. It’s amazing how we all speak English and yet so much communication fails. I have a particular interest in behavior and agree it needs to be more widely taught but there is progress being made in that direction. We must be all things… dentist, pediatrician, gastroenterologist, radiologist dermatologist urologist surgeon psychologist hospice care provider and manage patients between our primary care and referral hospital. MDs rarely send condolence cards. Every vet I know does. And we feel the heavy burden of counseling clients at end of life. It takes a toll. Please train your pets to cooperate with standard husbandry procedures including wearing a basket muzzle. And recognize that dogs don’t generalize well so if the training falls apart in the context of the vet hospital allow sedation and accept the risk ( nearly always minimal…I’ve never lost a patient to sedation) and cost. Ask for sedation if your pet needs it. Pay for extra long appointments without complaint. Recognize vets differ in training and find one who fits your needs. We sacrificed a lot to learn how to help your pet and we want to do the best by them and by you. Explosions of technology and pharmacology advancements come with enormous costs and we are masters at cost control( I am sure human hospitals pay less than I do for the same sutures. Drugs, IV catheters etc. ). Yet we still conduct “economic euthanasias” despite our best efforts. And that takes its toll on us too. Be kind, advocate kindly, be patient. Your vet and their staff may not have had an actual lunch break for the last two years. It’s been crazy and we try and we care. Thank you for caring too.
Julie says
Years ago I took my very agreeable golden to a new vet for vaccines. We had just moved to the area. The dog was stressed from the visit. Perhaps the vet was new? This is the same dog who easily allowed the old vet to repair a wound without a fuss. I held the dog and he made the stitches. We found a different vet. Just like being a parent pet owners need to be an advocate.
Ashley says
I love my primary vet, she has no qualms about me being with my dog and we go to her because I trust her and she trusts me. She’s on my dog’s team. Years ago we took our last dog to a chiropractor who had a very old school way of thinking and actually told me to get out of the treatment room when my dog was uncomfortable. That was the last time we went to her.
Honestly, when we go to a new vet I’m a little “extra”. Our current vet doesn’t do surgeries so we recently had to take a recommendation for a vet to do a spay. When they wanted to vaccinate instead of honor titers I spoke up. I refused bordatella for the visit because it’s not a concern. When the clinic said they keep dogs overnight after spay/neuter surgeries despite not being staffed overnight I started firing off our dogs routine including specific language cues, meds administration and nighttime music. I picked up my dog later the same day. I’m not sorry.
I don’t want to be a pain in the a** but I have learned to listen to my dog, know my limits and decisions before I walk into the door and find a vet that is willing to be part of my dog’s team not just a person on high. Vets are amazing but at the end of the day it’s my dog and there has to be mutual respect and communication.
Beth says
I am surprised reading this by how many vets take patients to the back for routine blood draws. I’ve always been there. With my didn’t-like-restraint Corgi I helped handle him. My “steady, steady waaiit” requests are things the staff would not know we trained. Mine have only been out of sight for anesthesia procedures or x-ray. When one of mine was sedated for ultrasounds, as soon as the imaging was done the tech came and got me and said “Dr. says he will do better if you are there while he fully wakes up”.
My vet has said she wished I could train some of her human clients so I get that some people might add some stress to the visit. But many owners know their animals and how to handle them. For instance I’ve warned them my cat can be quick and go from content to biting with 0 seconds warning.
Rebecca says
I’m a vet tech and have been on both sides of this debate. Luckily I usually get to stay with my critters as they are being cared for by the vets I work with. But I once had to take a dog to be euthanized at a vet I didn’t know. Brother was very calm with me but leery of strangers and would bite. The staff insisted on taking him ‘to the back’ to place an IVC. I had to muzzle him and I heard him growl and try to bite while they were placing the IVC. When they returned him to the exam room I asked them to give us half an hour alone so he could recover and feel safe and loved again before being euthanized. It was one of the worst times of my life.
J. Freeman says
Our vet, who we trust and have used for years, is not letting any humans into the clinic at this time. Two of our Aussies are fine going in without me, but one is NOT! He is reactive in some situations and tends to over react to scary situations. He really needs a check up, it’s been two years, but I cannot let him go without me. Our vet suggested letting one of the others go with him as a support dog, but I still worry and have not done this. I am hoping that nothing serious comes up. I have been by his side for every visit and am waiting for this time. I do not want to lose the trust I have worked so hard to build.
Laura Gail Grohe says
These comments have made me realize I need to work harder to find a new vet, or more precisely, a new practice. When we switched to our current vet 12 years ago I loved him and his whole office. He was great with our animals, and they rarely were taken out back. I was fine with the short out back times because our animals always came back happy. The lead vet tech was fabulous, our animals loved her, and we eventually became friends. But then the practice started to grow a lot bigger, with more vet techs. All was fine until our favorite vet tech got fired –cliques had formed among the new, younger techs and they lied to get rid of her. My dogs were still OK going out back–but just ok, they didn’t love it. But my very opinionated cat wanted nothing to do with the remaining vet techs, and she has made that quite clear when taken out back for blood work. They can’t draw her blood unless she is sedated, but oh boy, does she make them bleed! The hard part now is that none of our local vets are taking new patients.
Julia says
Wow, these stories are making me appreciate our awesome general practitioner vet. We have a very fearful rescue with many health issues. Our vet sees us outside the clinic on the grass and listens to me when I say our dog has had enough and needs a break. For procedures that require anesthesia the vet will give the initial sedative outside so we can stay with our dog until she’s quite sedated, then they take her back when they’re ready to start the procedure to avoid kennel time.
I dread the occasionally necessary ER vet visit where I have to fiercely advocate for our dog. Once it was so frustrating that I was suppressing tears as I repeatedly explained what we needed and why the tech’s proposed plan would not work for our dog. On the positive side, on that visit after I finally navigated around the “policy” type things the actual ER vet was amazing. He obviously had experience with nervous dogs, did all the right things body language wise (basically ignore the dog in our case), and she actually went to smell him! He recognized how scared she was and said that it was clear she had a UTI so he wasn’t even going to touch her to make the visit as positive as possible. He also helped us find a treatment that would be better for her given all of her health issues. By the end I could have cried tears of relief and gratitude, but held those back too 🙂
So to answer the question, for our very anxious dog I won’t see a vet where I have to send the dog to the back room without me, not because I don’t trust the staff, but because I know my dog and how things like this traumatize her. When I got pushback and didn’t have another specialist vet option I had our vet behaviorist write an email reiterating our needs, which did the trick.
I also am so happy that vets are getting more training and experience with nervous and fearful dogs. All the vets I’ve worked with mean well, but some don’t understand what to do and not do in those situations.
Sally says
I drive through several towns and past many vet clinics to get to our vet clinic, 70 miles away. My German Shepherds are anxious going to the vet, so we need a vet who will take time with each one, sit on the floor, avoid eye contact or physical contact until each dog approaches her when comfortable. Then she is often greeted with a little kiss. I have learned that I need to advocate for my dogs, with every vet and vet tech. We’ve tried other vets who wanted to pat their heads, handle them too soon, and I’m certain appeared very rude according to the canine code of manners.
We go equipped with high value treats, dog food popsicles, and tricks ready to go — 4 paws on the scale, and from then on they offer tricks — maybe two paws on a bench in the exam room, shake or spin. It’s fun and helps them relax a bit.
My male GSD is the Van Gogh of the canine world — too sensitive for this world, so he is always vigilant and fearful away from home. Fortunately my wonderful vet has allowed me to be with my dogs for exams during COVID, all of us masked and distancing as much as possible. Last summer he was in pain when we went to the vet. I didn’t convince the new vet tech to leave him alone, so her loud, bold approach and then a pat on the head upset him. Things went downhill from there, culminating in an attempted attack on the vet (who he loves) when she tried to draw blood. Fortunately he always wears a muzzle in public. Now we have an agreement that he will only be seen by the vet — she has gained his trust and is always willing to take time with him. I can’t imagine what might happen if I weren’t there to offer support, make the visit a bit more fun, and help him be more confident.
My female GSD loves people and seemed okay with being led away to have some X-Rays taken. She’s a very big girl and is never examined on a table, so I’m sure that experience was scary for her. She was willing to work with the vet and techs, but when I came in to look at the X-rays she literally screamed at me for a solid minute until I could engage her in another activity. I’m guessing she, like Alex the parrot, might have been saying “I’m sorry. I love you.” Or maybe WTF?
In this journey with anxious pups, I’ve learned how important it is to let the vet know as much as possible about their dispositions, what works and what doesn’t work. I count my lucky stars to work with a vet who appreciates my insights and my ability to help my dogs. As a trainer I also know how stressed, chatty owners can upset the dogs.
Veterinarians, you have my upmost respect. It’s not an easy job. Understanding canine body language and fear free practices can help us all. Thank you.
Bonnie luchs says
No one EVER asks if it is ok to take my dog to another room. It is not OK. But you cannot say no – you will not get the problem addressed. I was no even allowed into the building during Covid. My dog was never the same. Started meds without permission,no explanation. Only got her out by demanding release. Do not trust any vet.
Louise Mann says
I’m so glad this is being discussed. Vets need to consider how to make vet visits less stressful. I was recently at a wholistic vet where everything happened on the floor—no table to rise up to the vets height. That was wonderful. We still have to go to our regular vet for shots, etc, so I use a Kong filled with peanut butter to keep my corgi focused. We used to have to sedate him for visits. 😢🐶
PAULA says
Hi, I have a question for Trisha and the group– can’t figure out how to throw it out, so I’m using this “comment.” My son and I have a dog-walking business and he mentioned to me that one of the dogs he walks is seemingly infatuated with another dog in the neighborhood. She always wants to go in that direction, looks into the yard, etc. My son said: it’s like an illustration of the term “puppy love.” It started us wondering, do dogs have romantic feelings? I guess I see them feeling what we call friendship, but I don’t know about this sort of “crush.” Thoughts?
Michelle says
I am truly grateful for your post re going “in the back” with your dog at the vets. I have worked hard to make going to the vet’s less scary for my pups and have even helped a vet understand how to do that. However, there are still so very many vet techs and vets that are working hard to get all patients seen without regard to the dog’s anxiety or even outright pain (no topical treatments when working in sensitive areas? That is simply medieval (a time when they didn’t think dogs felt pain)). Dr. Sophia Yin did pioneering work on low-stress handling. A vet friend of mine said that it changed her practice. Maybe we could work harder to get these methods taught in vet and vet tech schools!
j says
To me, what all of this really says is the importance for dog owners to do everything they can to teach cooperative care, including tolerance of a muzzle, long before any of it is needed. And I don’t think it is fair to hold veterinarians accountable now for what was standard practice decades ago. The other critical piece is to spend the time to build a relationship with your vet, and hopefully clinic staff (turnover in the industry is very high). Reminds me, my border collie is horrible about having his temperature taken. My vet and clinic staff manage him beautifully, but that’s our next training project!
Alice R. says
Yay for Spring! Love your photos; they send me to my happy place.
I don’t let my dog go to the back although I would in an emergency situation, of course. He completely lacks confidence there, and his anxiety behaviors are read as excited and happy. Luckily, I found a place and a vet who listens to me, and will do procedures in room. The pandemic visits just reinforced this for me as they brought him back to me exclaiming on his excited happy behaviors that are anything but, and then reported his “settled down” (shut down) behavior when they had to do exams or procedures. They are very kind, however, and although they do not read him correctly, they are very willing to listen to me and act with that information so i’m grateful. I try to become my happiest, kindest, most easy to deal with version of myself to pay them back.
Trisha says
j: I agree that holding vets from 50 years ago to current standards isn’t fair. However, I too the same dog to a different vet a few
days later and he was appalled at what the vet had done. It took a long time to repair the damage that had been done. So please know that I’m a huge, huge fan of almost all vets, but the practice is like any other, and everyone individual within it is different.
Trisha says
Paula: I ADORE this question. I’m definitely going to turn it into a blog post sometime! My quick answer is that I can’t speak to “romantic,” but I have indeed seen plenty of dogs who seemed to have a crush on others. My Lassie met her father, Luke, when she was a year old, and I’ve said ever since that “She literally fell in love with him the day she met him.” She watched him, followed him, licked his face and ears, slept beside him . . . Thanks for asking this great question!
Pam Green says
Dr Sophia Yin, DVM (alas, deceased, a huge loss) wrote a book called Low Stress Handling for Dogs and Cats. wonderful book. written for vets, but quite accessible for clients. a perfect gift to your own vet. and it does include things clients could do at home to make pet more accepting of some procedures.
U C Davis does teach behavior and does teach communication skills. I’ve got a lot of “frequent flyer miles” there over past 40 years, with my own dogs and with over 100 rescue foster dogs.
If I have a new foster whose temperament I don’t know well enough yet, I am quick to propose use of muzzle and bring my own basket muzzle with me. Vets appreciate clients who value the vet’s welfare.
Yes, liability issues can come into play in the “back room” or not decision. (I grew up in a Plaintiff’s Personal Injury law firm, so I am more aware of this aspect than most people).
With today’s technology it could be easy for a vet to send real time video to wherever the client is waiting. That would ensure that client can see that handling is gentle as possible. It would also prevent client’s fears and anxieties from being “fed into” the pet, though it also prevents any ability a calm client might be able to transmit to the pet.
COVID of course has changed what is reasonable in so many ways.
Giang says
I loved reading your blog post, Trisha, and all the comments. @Jane Craig, I cried when I read your story. So sorry for your loss. My second dog Merlin also wags his tail very hard every time he sees me, and I also cushion the wall with my hand so he doesn’t hurt his tail. I’m sure I’ll remember your story now every time I see Merlin wagging his tail at me.
My current vet does exams in the exam room with the owners present, but they take the dogs to the back room for vaccinations and blood draws. I have conflicting feelings about this. On the one hand, I hesitate to let my dogs out of my sight. On the other hand, my vet is pretty good, and my dogs always seem very willing to go with the vet and vet techs, and acted fine when they came back to me shortly after. My vet clinic said they are certified “fear free”, but I don’t know how to verify the actual certification. Is there a database we could go to double check?
From what I’ve seen, I think my vet knows how to handle dogs well, but not all the vet techs are good. In one of my most recent visits, a vet tech tried to lift Merlin up and forced him onto the scale to weigh him, before I could say otherwise. He got nervous, tensed up, and resisted the person. I quietly said “let me try”. The vet tech said “ok” and let him go. I lured him onto the scale with just 1 treat.
My first dog Bonnie is 90 lbs so thankfully people don’t try to lift her up and force her anywhere. Whew.
I understand the vets’ perspectives. But I genuinely believe my dogs behave better with me in the room. In Merlin’s first puppy visit, he frantically tried to get off the raised-up exam table, until I stepped close to the edge of the table, and he could smell me and lean on me. Then he got calmer. And yes I know he gets calmer when he leans on me, because the day I adopted him from the shelter, he got very nervous about the car ride home, until I held him in my lap and he leaned on me and calmed down. He has always been a lap dog 🙂
Trisha, I teared up when I read about Alex the Parrot in your post. I twisted my ankle last week and couldn’t walk, so I had a pet sitter come to walk Merlin. We tried to take the time to introduce him to the sitter and put his harness on, but he still got so scared when the sitter took up his leash and guided him out of the house. He had his tail between his legs, didn’t want to move forward, and kept looking back at the house. I opened the front door and yelled out “it’s ok, you don’t have to walk him, bring him back”, but the pet sitter didn’t hear me and kept walking. Merlin could hear and see me though, and I thought his sad eyes were saying “why did you give me away”, and all I could say was “I’m sorry. I love you. You will be back with me soon”. I couldn’t walk at all, so I tried to call the sitter on the phone to tell her to bring him back, but she had her phone off while she’s walking dogs (which is understandable of course). I ended up sitting at the door for 10 minutes waiting and hoping they get back home soon. When they finally got back, he ran through the door straight to me, and I was just relieved to be able to prove to him that I didn’t give him up to a stranger. I asked my husband to come home for lunch break the rest of the week so he could take Merlin out. I like the pet sitter very much but I just think Merlin needs some confidence building first, before we would engage the pet sitter again.
Anyway, it was good reading all the perspectives in the comments. I’ll try to get to know the vet and vet techs more, as that seems to be a key difference.
Ashley says
I got my dog in the middle of Covid. For all I know he’d never been to a vet before I first took him in, but I’ve never been able to go to the vet with him. He’s very fearful and can act aggressive out of fear. The first vet visit went ok, he was just nervous, but the next two where he got his vaccines and boosters were a disaster. He just got worse and worse once he had the first bad experience, and now starts freaking out as soon as we get to the vet office. Last time I took him in for diarrhea and vomiting, they only had him for a few minutes before saying they thought he was just dehydrated, but he was growling too much for them to examine him, and they’d basically just given up. I don’t know if he’d be better if I was there, or if his reactivity at the vet would have been prevented in the first place if I’d been able to go in with him. His annual vet visit is coming up and I’ll be able to go in with him for the first time – I’m hoping that will help.
Ilene Segal says
I 100% agree with everything Barbara, Regina and Mary wrote – could not have said it better.
Leslie Sachlis says
Thank-you for talking about this subject. I have been lucky to have primary vets who I trust and do not ask me to wait while they take our pup to the back. Specialty vets (who I have been referred to but may not know) and emergency vets can be another story – sometimes good, sometimes a nightmare. The tech at a specialty vet who read me out because my three year old retriever had jumped off of the examining table while she had him in the back (I was not allowed to go with) – this was my fault while I waited in the waiting room? Another specialty vet was a different story. I was told what they wanted to do to Maggie (necessary diagnostics). I suggested that they would need a muzzle if they wanted to preserve their body parts where God originally created them. They suggested I step out the door. I did and through the door I heard “Oh what a goooood girl”. This is a dog that snapped if you accidentally tugged on a small mat in her fur. For them she was an angel (or maybe shut down?). Everyone was safe and she was happy to see me when I popped back in the door. I would like to thank everyone who contributed stories on this subject. There is so much good information here! The last year and a half of Daisy’s life our primary vet came to the house. That is not offered now. I look forward to the day when that can resume.
Mary says
Having been through some pretty nasty experiences myself, I neither trust the doctors nor the vets anymore. I know that there are exceptions, but, unfortunately, I mostly met the “rule”…:( Medicine has become a big business. I have nothing against people earning a good living for the skills they have developed but the money in this particular “business” is attracting too many people with too little empathy…:(
I have handed my IG, Casper, to a clinic during Covid – for a “routine biopsy”. He has died a bad death 5 days later. It was an absolute horror. I should have never trusted those people. And I never will again.
Mary says
Don’t let anybody take your dog to the “back room”. Would you like to be taken to the “back room” yourself? Has anything good ever happened to anybody in the “back room”? Why then, would you keep it in the back? Why not keep it in the front if it is so “good”? Wouldn’t everybody run to a place with a “good front room”?
I think we hide things “in the back”, “under covers”. I do not want anything done to my dogs to be hidden in any way. They cannot tell us what what was done to them so we better be there and make sure it is nothing we would not have liked done to us.
Gwynne says
I have a Covid pup, and was not allowed in the vet’s office as he had to get his vaccines and what not during the height of the pandemic. I called when I arrived, I handed my boy off at the door, and sat and waited in the car. The vet called when done, spent some time chatting, answering questions, etc., and then I met the vet tech at the door to pick up my boy. That’s how it went for the pandemic, and that is what my boy became accustomed to.
The first time we had an appointment where they were allowing people inside to wait, and inside with their pets, I asked if we could still follow the pandemic protocol. Part of it was that we were in the middle of “Stranger Danger” and I was worried walking into a waiting room full of strangers would upset him and ruin what had so far been good vet visit experiences. The other thing was my nerves. I hate going to the doctor myself, and it makes me nervous. My boy picks up on my nervousness, and I was worried he’d do so and turn what had otherwise been good vet visits into a bad one and ruin things.
Not long after I had to drop him off for the day. He came in from the backyard the night before with a horrible eye, like he had run into something. It did not look better by morning, he wasn’t able to keep it open, and I was worried he had a bad injury that I couldn’t tell just by looking at it. I took him in, dropped him off, and a few hours later they called and said he was OK and I could come get him. They agreed he probably ran into something. There was no damage to any part of the eye, they gave me some drops, and said if it didn’t look better after 2 days to bring him right back. They did a routine physical check and said he was in excellent health.
Each time the vet has said he isn’t aggressive, he’s just nervous, a little fearful, but warms up quickly. He even let her give him a hug as they drew blood to test for heart worms.
One day I plan to go in with my boy. I don’t like not going and seeing what’s going on, but I also don’t want to be a source of anxiety that makes otherwise good situation, bad. I’m working on my own nerves, working on staying calm. Sometimes I think my boy is far better at calmness than I am! 😉
Linda Gingerich says
This is a bit unrelated but this blog made me start thinking about the experiences our dogs have at the vets. And I wanted your take on something. I love your books and webinars and the infusion of biology and behavior into training and understanding dogs is refreshing. We are blessed with a pack of 5. Two are 14 years old and I’m thinking about that awful day we must say goodbye to one. I’ve thought about asking the vet if they could all come to help with processing their own grief and perhaps confusion. However, I also see a downside. Will it traumatize them and/or make them fearful of going to the vet’s. Currently, they think the vet office is a great party, mostly. And, for the one crossing the rainbow, would it be comforting to have the pack there or too much chaos? Sorry for the random question but if anyone can provide insight, you can. TIA.
Mireille says
Can I just say “it depends”? In 2020 we were moving to Norway. Spot was not feeling well, vomiting a bit, just not himself. We though stress from everyting that was happening including very hot weather. But since he suddenly stopped eating we got worried and made a vet appointment. The vet did not trust it and suggested an ultrasound. The actual day before the movers came. It was pandemic time, normally we would not be allowed in but she made an exception for me. And I am still so thankful for that. Spot trusted me, for me he would do things that he would not do for anyone else. So we did not need to sedate him, he would ly ont his back have his tummy shaved without fuss. At one time during the investigation he was fed up with it and wanted to get up, but we I nuzzled him and petted him and he calmed down. And I still do not know how, but I managed to stay calm. Even when the vet got ver quiet and I could see for myself that something was very very wrong. We got him off the table, into the front room. And she told us he had a very large kidney tumor and probably kidney failure. And I am forever grateful that I was there for him in the last hours of his life that we were together and could say goodbye in a proper way. Pet him, cuddle together. Because we had to put him down then and there. He was sick, incurably so and we had a house to pack and movers coming the next day. I am crying as I am writing this, but still I am so grateful for a vet who broke the rules on our behalf. But that was also because she looked and saw. She saw the interaction between Spot and me, she saw how close we were. I also remember another time when our first dog needed an X ray. Now he could be a real dramaqueen and howl the house down and that made me nervous, so with him I would say “just take him without me’ because I knew he would be a lot easier to handle.
Chris from Boise says
Linda – the only experience I have with euthanizing one dog of a pair (as close as we come to a group!) was when a veterinarian came to our house. She recommended putting our other dog in another area during the procedure, then allowing him to come investigate the body as much as he chose to. It seemed like good advice all the way around.
If you have the option of having a veterinarian come to the house, I highly recommend it. Habi’s passing was the gentlest, calmest, kindest passage we could have hoped for.
Maxine says
I am switching vets for this very reason. Before covid, we were brought into the large exam room and the tech talked to us and sometimes the vet. They then took the dog in the back to get its weight and draw blood. They then brought the dog back into the room and discussed vaccines and they listened to my dogs heart, breathing etc. Then they gave vaccines.
Now, nope go into the room, out goes my dog(to get his weight they said) 10 minutes goes by and no dog, then 5 more minutes. The vet and tech come back in and start saying “Oh this poor baby, he was so anxious he would hardly let us do anything. We couldn’t even trim his nails but we did get a blood draw and give him his vaccines.” He has been SO anxious at the vet the last two times and now I know why. Um, we didn’t discuss which vaccines he needed and if I wanted him to have them. Had I known you were going to trim his nails I would have said NO! He hates his paws touched. We trim them at home. You just treated my dog without consent. I wasn’t happy but most importantly, neither was my dog.
Then my oldest dog had her spleen removed due to a tumor (it was not cancer) two weeks later my husband takes her in for the staple removal and it has to be when a vet is in the building so they can check the site. Ok. I get home from work that night and there is a large soft lump near the staple site. What is that? Call the vet and we have to bring her back in tomorrow to have it looked at. Hubby brings her back in the next day (and as I had guessed it was a seroma) tech says ok lets have the vet look at it. The tech says “Yes I saw that yesterday but didn’t think anything of it.” ( can we even talk about why the tech and the vet missed it the day before??) 10 minutes later the tech brings her back to my husband and says” All Done! ” hubby ” What’s all done?” Tech” We drained the seroma, your wife was right.” My husband said “OMG my wife is gonna be mad.” (I had seen this in a previous pet and we just did warm compress and massage and it went away, the body reabsorbs it) I did not want it drained. If it really needed to be drained then consent should have been obtained from my husband. You just don’t do a procedure without asking if we are ok with it. Maybe we would have agreed. Was the area even numbed?
I own 3 labs and have been a dog owner most of my adult life. I don’t faint or get sick at this stuff. This is a 10 y/o lab/Dane mix who just recovered from surgery. So NO, I am switching vets. I love Dr Maria but the other staff and vet are not for me. Not sure why things have not gone back to post covid ways but the new vet I found does the exam and vaccines in front of you.
Chook says
I got my cat during COVID and I found this article while researching if it was normal for pets to be taken “to the back” for exams. I was the one taken aback when they told me they’d do this in 2022! I’m thinking of changing my vet to one that doesn’t remove the cat from me.