Before taking your dog to the veterinary clinic, it’s important to go over the following checklist to make sure your pooch is safe and sound.
Your dog has had an upset stomach for a few days. The vet told you that it should clear up after feeding them a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice. It helped a little but your fur baby is still vomiting every now and again.
Time to get down to the bottom of it and schedule an appointment at the veterinary clinic. This is their first trip ever so you’re a little worried about how they’re going to handle it.
There are little things you can do to ease their nerves and make the trip go as smoothly as possible. Follow the steps in this checklist and you can’t go wrong.
Help Them Get Out Their Nervous Energy
If your dog has a lot of pent up energy, they’ll let it out in the form of nervous adrenaline once they get to the veterinary clinic. Tire them out before their appointment by playing with them.
You should also take them out for a walk. This will help them burn that nervous energy and it makes it less likely that they’ll do their business on the vet’s clean floor.
Prepare a Carrier
Even if you know your dog isn’t aggressive, that doesn’t mean that none of the other dogs in the waiting room are. To this end, keep them in a carrier while they’re in the waiting room.
Make sure to place their favorite toy or blanket in the carrier with them. It will give them something familiar to cling to and ease their dog anxiety.
It’s important to note that even if your dog is too large to be in a carrier, you will still be required to keep them restrained. Make sure they stay on the leash at all times.
Keep Them Relaxed in the Waiting Room
The longer your four-legged friend has to sit in the waiting room, the more anxious they’re going to feel. They may decide that they want to roam around. Again, you don’t know how confrontational the other patients are so it’s best not to let them do that.
Hold your pet in your lap if you can and give them pets. Dogs and even cats react to a soothing voice so talking to your pet may keep them calm.
It may be difficult for the vet to work on your pet if they shy away from them. Ask the vet if you can hold the pet during their examination.
Make a List of Your Pet’s Symptoms
Your vet needs to know everything that’s wrong with your pet. When you’re worried about your doggo, it’s easy to slip up and forget a symptom.
To help jog your memory and make the vet’s job a little easier, write down a full list of your pet’s symptoms. This way you won’t forget anything and your vet will be able to consider any and all variables.
Bring a Copy of Their Medical Records
If your pet is visiting the vet for the first time, it’s a good idea to bring along a copy of their medical records. This way the vet knows if they’re allergic to anything and has an idea of what vaccinations they’ve had.
It also stops you from having to sit back and think about your dog’s entire medical history on the spot.
Pay Attention to The Exam
The veterinary exam isn’t only for your pet. It’s for your benefit as well. They’ll be updating you on your pet’s condition and telling you what they’re doing as they do it.
You don’t want to miss anything because you were scrolling through your social media feed. You should also be asking them questions concerning your pet. You can’t do that if you’re not paying attention.
Keep Yourself Calm
Dogs and cats are good about reading the nervous energy in the room. So, if the person they love and trust the most feels uneasy, it will make them feel uneasy.
The best thing you can do for them is to stay calm. Even if you’ve been given the worst news possible, keep your composure. You don’t want your pet to panic any more than they already are.
Bring Their Favorite Treats with You
Grab a few of your pet’s favorite treats before you leave the house to go to the appointment. This isn’t to keep them calm.
You see, you want your pet to associate the vet with a positive experience. It’s sort of like when the doctor gives a child a lollipop for handling a shot well. You’ll give your dog a treat for their good behavior during their vet visit.
Schedule Their Follow-Up Appointment
Congratulations, if you’ve gotten this far you’ve managed to have a successful vet visit. Now it’s time to schedule the next one. Depending on your pet’s condition the vet may want you to set up a follow-up appointment.
You can do this while you’re still in the office or call and make one later. Since vets work on limited time and have a lot of patients to squeeze in, it’s best to go ahead and make the appointment while you’re already there. You can always call to move the appointment up or down if something comes up.
Make Your Trip to the Veterinary Clinic Go as Smooth as Possible
Your pet is just as nervous to go to the vet as you are to take them. The last thing you want is bad news or a large vet bill to pay. Still, if your pet can sense your anxiety, they’ll get worried as well.
The best way to keep yourself calm is by having a plan. Follow the steps that you’ve read here today to make your best friend’s trip to the veterinary clinic go as smoothly as possible.
Taking your dog for a regular vet trip isn’t the only way to keep them happy and healthy. Check out the pet section of our blog daily for all the latest pet owner’s tips.
I really appreciate the part of your article that talks about bringing treats and other positive enforcers along with the pet to their visit to make them feel safe around the vet. My dog is a very playful one, but at the same time, it’s very easily scared by just about anything. Strangers can send it scurrying across the room in an instant, and so in order to have a chance at seeing a veterinarian safely, I’ll keep your tips in mind.
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