Pooh had her annual checkup this month and she passed with flying colors! She let a stranger walk her out of the room. Later, it was mentioned that I should follow next time because it would be easier…ok, so she’ll never be relaxed, but it’s an improvement. Dr. Erion noticed that her teeth needed to be cleaned. I had a hunch about that from riding in a car with her breathing on me. I told my husband that he would be in charge of Pooh on teeth cleaning day and would need to find a day he was wide open so he could stay with her. He looked at me with disbelief, but I did this last spring so I know the drill and he has summers off so it made sense.
I must admit that I generally prefer to handle all vet visits, for any of our pets. It’s not that I don’t think my husband can do it, but he doesn’t gather as many details as I want. I have been known to send him to see Dr. Erion with a cat and a written list of questions. So, I’m sure that my husband thought this trip to get Pooh’s teeth cleaned would be fairly simple and I was overthinking it. Here’s the thing though…I am not the one that said we needed to be onsite. That was my wise and wonderful vet (see 4/14/2012 “That Time” Arrived). I had never even heard of such a thing!
On the morning of teeth cleaning I realized that the instructions I had been given seemed like they might be for typical dogs…not Pooh. If my husband brings Pooh in between 7:30 and 8:00 do they have to wait for half hour to get morphine shot? I called to inquire and Pooh was invited to arrive later than the typical animals. So, I gave my husband clear instructions, take Pooh to vet, do not leave unless one of two people tell you it is ok. I explained to him that he was her advocate and would need to be by her side the entire time she was conscious. The thing about Pooh is that her posture is pretty normal now and she looks calm so she tricks people that don’t know her into thinking she is fine. In reality, she still has terrible separation and confinement anxiety. She isn’t aggressive, but she is highly destructive (older posts cover that…it’s almost funny now…back then it was exhausting). And the beagle in her comes out at full volume if she is left somewhere she doesn’t like…you can hear her down the street!
Imagine my surprise when my husband recapped the day and told me he was amazed at how anxious she was, even after the morphine shot. He spent his time sitting on the floor with her (déjà vu!) and trying to keep her calm. He also commented that she was very reactive when other animals made noises while recovering from anesthesia. I think it was great for him to see how she is in that situation because it gives him insight so he knows it isn’t just my typical worrier ways. It’s key to understand triggers and thresholds for anxiety dogs. We know that every noise, strange person, or movement is a trigger for Pooh, but we are also seeing that her threshold continues to increase. In addition, when she is pushed to the threshold of panic and can no longer “hear” us she recovers much faster now. With an ongoing increase in threshold and a faster recovery rate she could handle repeat medical treatment as she ages, if needed. Don’t misunderstand me, she isn’t ready to see a specialist in a strange place, but I know she can go to her regular vet and get treatment. That’s a huge relief!
I must admit that I generally prefer to handle all vet visits, for any of our pets. It’s not that I don’t think my husband can do it, but he doesn’t gather as many details as I want. I have been known to send him to see Dr. Erion with a cat and a written list of questions. So, I’m sure that my husband thought this trip to get Pooh’s teeth cleaned would be fairly simple and I was overthinking it. Here’s the thing though…I am not the one that said we needed to be onsite. That was my wise and wonderful vet (see 4/14/2012 “That Time” Arrived). I had never even heard of such a thing!
On the morning of teeth cleaning I realized that the instructions I had been given seemed like they might be for typical dogs…not Pooh. If my husband brings Pooh in between 7:30 and 8:00 do they have to wait for half hour to get morphine shot? I called to inquire and Pooh was invited to arrive later than the typical animals. So, I gave my husband clear instructions, take Pooh to vet, do not leave unless one of two people tell you it is ok. I explained to him that he was her advocate and would need to be by her side the entire time she was conscious. The thing about Pooh is that her posture is pretty normal now and she looks calm so she tricks people that don’t know her into thinking she is fine. In reality, she still has terrible separation and confinement anxiety. She isn’t aggressive, but she is highly destructive (older posts cover that…it’s almost funny now…back then it was exhausting). And the beagle in her comes out at full volume if she is left somewhere she doesn’t like…you can hear her down the street!
Imagine my surprise when my husband recapped the day and told me he was amazed at how anxious she was, even after the morphine shot. He spent his time sitting on the floor with her (déjà vu!) and trying to keep her calm. He also commented that she was very reactive when other animals made noises while recovering from anesthesia. I think it was great for him to see how she is in that situation because it gives him insight so he knows it isn’t just my typical worrier ways. It’s key to understand triggers and thresholds for anxiety dogs. We know that every noise, strange person, or movement is a trigger for Pooh, but we are also seeing that her threshold continues to increase. In addition, when she is pushed to the threshold of panic and can no longer “hear” us she recovers much faster now. With an ongoing increase in threshold and a faster recovery rate she could handle repeat medical treatment as she ages, if needed. Don’t misunderstand me, she isn’t ready to see a specialist in a strange place, but I know she can go to her regular vet and get treatment. That’s a huge relief!