A Trip to the Veterinary Clinic

Some pets can feel very frightened on their trip to the veterinarian. Dogs and cats may be uncomfortable being in close quarters with other animals or get upset by unfamiliar smells and sounds in the veterinary clinic. One unpleasant past experience can convince a pet that the veterinary clinic is not a fun place to visit.

Any dog or cat who is fearful, struggles with restrained, or is threatened or are aggressive do not make the job easier for the veterinary staff to handle. Sometimes owners are embarrassed or frightened as well if their pet loses control during the visit. Help avoid these problems by taking a proactive approach to prevent your pet from becoming stressed out at the visit to the veterinary clinic.

If you have a puppy or kitten take your new pet to the veterinary clinic for several socialization visits. Have several of the staff members pet the animal and offer him tidbits or a toy to play with, gently handle the pet and then say good-by. Because nothing has happened to your pet he is more likely to feel good about visiting other times. Most veterinary clinics won't mind this visit but try to do this visit at a more down time so as not to put any more demands on the veterinary staff.

Let the vet and staff know some procedures or situations that your pet has trouble tolerating. Examples: your dog does not like his feet touched, if you pet your cat too long it will try to bite, will you dog stay still for a nail clipping, etc. It is very important that the staff be aware of these tendencies before attempting to handle your pet.
Don't feel bad that your pet is not acting as perfect as you would hope.

It is important to socialize your pet and train him so that they can be more easily handled at the clinic. Pets that are hard to handle are hard to administer help to. Some veterinarians' charge an extra fee for difficult to handle animals, because they have to take more time and put their staff at risk of injury.

Remember, veterinarians have the responsibility to what they can to minimize your pet's stress. They are to handle him as gently as possible and to never retaliate in anger against a difficult to handle pet.

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