Supporting your dog with Vet visits or procedures.

Any visit a dog has to the vet can be a stressful experience,

not only for a pet, but for an owner too.

We can’t explain to them that they will be ok and it can be upsetting to see them stressed or difficult to manage their behaviour.

Recognising and acknowledging early signs that a dog is stressed is an important factor to being able to work towards helping them to feel calmer and try to make the experience less stressful for everyone.

There are ways we can ease this stress, pre procedure and post procedure, and supporting a dog to be calmer will aid recovery and healing.

Pre – procedure.

Getting your dog more comfortable with visiting the vet is a great life skill for them. This would involve visiting your vets on a regular basis when no procedures are needed, with lots of praise and treats to make it an enjoyable experience for your dog.

Most vets have scales in reception, so it’s also a great opportunity to keep an eye on your dogs weight too.  

It is worth discussing these plans with your vet first, but most would welcome the opportunity to have calmer dogs at times of consultations.

Get your dog used to being handled/inspected on a regular basis. This can be practised in small positive steps at home with your general maintenance or welfare checks – cleaning and wiping of paws, ears, eyes, bottom, filing nails.

Positive training steps can be established using the bucket game - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJSs9eqi2r8&t=34s 

If you have a smaller dog that will need lifting onto an examination table, this can be incorporated with these welfare checks by lifting them onto a table or worksurface, obviously making sure they are physically well supported. A nonslip surface covering may help, which can also be taken on vet visits, as sliding on the examination table can cause panic.

There may be times when a dog will require crate rest, restricted walks or general restrictions with freedom of movement, so it is wise for your dog to be comfortable with these temporary limitations.

Using a crate, in everyday life, is a great way of helping your dog have a quality down time, their own space where they can rest or relax properly. If you generally don’t use, or have a crate, getting one a few weeks before a procedure will allow you time to positively introduce it and get them used to being calm and comfortable with it.  

You may get away with using a puppy pen or gating off a smaller room, as long as this does not cause or allow them to jump up, giving training support prior to a procedure will help them accept the situation.  

Supporting your dog to have some walks that are slow and steady is another skill that should be implemented throughout their life. This can be achieved with loose lead walking training and having occasional ‘sniffari’ walks only.

Sniffari walks can be supported by visiting new places and just allowing them to investigate with their nose, or you can use treat trails. If you are worried about weight gain, just use some of their meal allowance.

More information on link: https://www.politepoochesessex.co.uk/post/how-dogs-see-the-world-the-power-of-the-nose

Post procedure.

Allowing a day or two for stress hormones to disperse, is essential.

Ideally if you can have a couple of days at home with them after a major procedure, to support and supervise will help prevent the risk of any behaviour problems, such as reclusive or withdrawn behaviour, separation anxiety, reactive behaviour, destructive behaviour – such as chewing themselves or items, or toileting in the house (although some 'accidents' can be due to stress or medication/procedure related).

If the vet visit has been something simple like a general health check, vaccinations, claw clipping, parasite medication, anal glands express, etc., your dog will still have a certain level of stress that should not be dismissed.

A few quiet days with walks in familiar areas, avoiding too much excitement or excessive play with other dogs and upping their enrichment.

Enrichment is not just entertainment, its nervous system support.

Enrichment.

Enrichment is not only to relieve boredom or ‘entertain’ dogs, it actively lowers cortisol, the primary stress hormone.

This decreases muscle tension and tightness, speeding up inflammatory and repair stages of healing and generally allows the body's natural repair mechanisms to work more efficiently, Chronic high cortisol levels over prolonged periods can lead to an impaired immune system and long term health conditions.

‘…enrichment is understood as a cornerstone of both physical and neurological health.’ 

Griffin S. Animal Physiotherapist and community manager - London College of Animal Osteopathy

Enrichment ideas for recovery/reduced activity.

If your dog has a cone, make sure it is removed for walks or any enrichment activities or it will be frustrating and stressful for them. Always supervising to avoid any possible distraction to operation/wound site.

• Licking and chewing - activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and relaxation - Kongs, lick mats, or pliable natural chews provides a self-soothing and calming activity.

  
  

• Scent work - provides a calming, controlled outlet for any nervous energy – Scatter feed or use a snuffle mat, encourages natural foraging behaviour which reduces anxiety and boredom. If your dog is restricted to just the garden for toileting or exercise, you can create a scent trial with treats or provide a ‘puzzle’ with food in for them to discover.

• Solving puzzles and exploring new environments - strengthens neural pathways and boosts confidence – There are many puzzle toys on the market, but you can easily make use of items around the home, such as simply putting treats in a rolled up towel or making an interest box using toilet rolls, eggs boxes, scrunched up paper.

  

More information on the benefits of enrichment here – https://www.politepoochesessex.co.uk/post/enrichment-what-is-it-what-is-the-point

Environmental considerations

Where and how your dogs rests after any procedure needs to be considered:

They will require a comfortable bed in a draft free, not too hot area, with blankets to allow for comfort or security burrowing.

When they are confined, make sure it is in a sufficient quiet area, away from a lot of foot traffic, but without being too isolated.  

Depending on the procedure and your flooring, some areas may need covering with non-slip mats to prevent slipping or sliding and risk opening up a wound site or straining a healing joint. 

If they usually sleep upstairs at night, smaller dogs will need carrying up or down stairs, larger dogs will need some training support prior to procedure to stay downstairs.

If they often rest on furniture, small dogs will need lifting on and off, larger dogs will need support training to stay on the floor, either by moving their favourite bed close to furniture or even you spending some time sitting on the floor at their level, until they settle.

What ‘kit’ you use to prevent access to a wound site needs to be considered. There are other options to the hard plastic ‘cone of shame’, that may be less stressful for your dog, such as blow-up collars which are more comfortable and less cumbersome or recovery suits which are like soft baby grows.

If you are planning on using any of these items it can be beneficial to get your dog used to them before they are needed, with short positive training sessions before they have to wear them for longer periods.

Manage attention carefully from others, humans, dogs or other pets, so they don’t get too over excited or too overwhelmed.

Diet is a key part of recovery. Poor appetite, nausea, or digestive upset are common after procedures due to anaesthesia, medication, stress, pain.

·        Offer small, frequent meals instead of large portions

·        Choose soft or moist foods to reduce chewing effort

·        Avoid fatty, spicy, or heavily processed foods

·        Ensure constant access to fresh water

If you have any concerns about your dogs eating or toileting habits after any treatment with a vet, seek their advice.

Dogs are biologically classified as omnivores and can digest and enjoy many fruit and vegetables. Variety in their diet can add extra vitamins and minerals, as well as enrichment through taste and texture variation, just check they are dog safe and suitable for your dogs health condition.

Medication - using high quality food treats to administer, rather than force, prevents raising stress levels or cause them to become distrustful. You will likely need to be inventive and offer varied food stuffs and methods to prevent them learning treats=pills.

Always follow administration guidance and be aware of any possible side effects that could affect them physically or behavioural and if you have any concerns discuss with your vet.

Pain relief for dogs can be a difficult thing to manage, as dogs generally 'hide' or mask pain. Discuss this with your vet to make sure they are as comfortable as possible to avoid unnecessary stress.

With some minor temporary adaptions, considered care and support, most dogs will be pretty well recovered from most procedures within 14 days, although some conditions may require longer term management.

Information supplied does not replace Veterinary medical advice or care.