Kip hurt his toe!!!

Sandy in CT said:
Glad he is feeling better.

He probably will remember unfortunately - these dogs don't seem to forget much. Brodie remembered our vet who he hadn't seen in a year - it was actually the vet tech, because that is who held him for shots. But you can help with that as well. Explain on the phone, have them mark it in his file, explain again to the tech if the drop at the door thing continues and provide treats for them to give him. Maybe even give them a little new toy that they can give to Kip after his visit so he sees the vet as fun stuff! My trainer says everything is always supposed to be left off with a positive - so try to end the visit with a BIG positive so it's something that overshadows the actual visit.
Click to expand...
Took Zulu to the vet today for his 6 month checkup. They keep a treat bowl at the check out counter. The tech put Zulu on the floor and he heads straight for the treat bowl. They remember.
 
Sandy in CT said:
He probably will remember unfortunately - these dogs don't seem to forget much. Brodie remembered our vet who he hadn't seen in a year - it was actually the vet tech, because that is who held him for shots. But you can help with that as well. Explain on the phone, have them mark it in his file, explain again to the tech if the drop at the door thing continues and provide treats for them to give him. Maybe even give them a little new toy that they can give to Kip after his visit so he sees the vet as fun stuff! My trainer says everything is always supposed to be left off with a positive - so try to end the visit with a BIG positive so it's something that overshadows the actual visit.
Click to expand...
Bringing treats to give the vet to give Kip is a good idea. They have treats for the dogs, but Kip is picky and doesn't care for them.

The thing that was really bad was that they took him in for his exam, and then put him in a room by himself for 15 minutes while waiting for the vet to be ready to see him. I don't know why they did that. Why couldn't he have waited in the car with me, where we had already been waiting for an hour?
I guess they probably had something come up, and thought he would be ok because he could see me out the window. But he was NOT ok! He was trying to jump out the window, barking, and shaking. I finally knocked on the door and asked them to bring Kip out to me, but then they were ready for his exam. I generally like my vet clinic, so I'm trying not to be too annoyed about this. I'm sure they're under a lot of stress from COVID.
 
Sharon7 said:
Well that was dumb to leave him alone for 15 minutes while he could see you but not get to you. He's still a pup, really. Some breeds might have been OK with that but not any Sheltie I know! Good grief.
Click to expand...
I agree! Maybe they were understaffed that day or like you said... some other emergency came up. Either way, I would ask politely that you prefer he is never left alone again and you want him to wait in the car until the vet can see him! I would have been concerned/upset too! Sharon is right.. other breeds might be ok on their own but not shelties!
 
Poor Kip! That was a stupid thing they did, I would be angry with them as well! Very irresponsible for them to do that with any dog, who knows what could have happened! They wouldn't leave a child alone in a room, why a dog?
 
ghggp said:
Either way, I would ask politely that you prefer he is never left alone again and you want him to wait in the car until the vet can see him!
Click to expand...
I am definitely going to do that!! I do think they were understaffed that day. It was a bit chaotic.

I have another dog, Geri, who is very fearful, and he always stays right with me when I go to the vet. Of course during COVID, he can't be with me, so I was very concerned when he had to go in for his annual exam & heartworm test. I called them ahead of time and told them that I was concerned, and I wanted him to wear a muzzle the whole time, just in case he completely freaked out. Then when I got to the clinic, I reminded them again. They were great and very patient with Geri. They made his exam as quick as possible and only took him in when they were ready for him. Geri was so scared, he completely shut down, but at least it was quick, and he perked up as soon as he was back in the car with me. So I just have to do this with Kip too: INSIST that he stay with me until they're ready. I'll give them very high value treats for him, but he may not feel like eating. He isn't easily bribed:)

Good news: No limping today!!
 
Unfortunately Kip's cracked paw got worse. It was looking good, but then a piece of skin peeled off his paw pad leaving a sore area, plus there are more cracks around it:( :( Poor baby! He was limping yesterday, so I called the vet & got advice (thank goodness I didn't have to bring him in this time!). The vet said to keep it clean, apply antibiotic ointment & keep him indoors so he doesn't get it dirty or run around too much. :gaahKeeping my active playful Sheltie indoors and not letting him play and run is miserable for both of us. I sure hope he heals quickly before we both lose our minds.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top