Vet fear

[theworldhasgoneinsane]

Can someone please advise who has been through this

My dog hates the vet. Vets have kindly done sessions where they spend time with him there making it a pleasant experience but whenever he needs to go for health reasons he still gets really scared and they can't examine him. They can't get near him, he growls and he would bite them. He has a poorly paw right now and he probably needs it looking at but itl be a wasted trip as they won't be able to look!

What's the way forward please? A muzzle? I wonder if he would squirm so much they still wouldn't be able to get a good look

He needs to be muzzle trained (all dogs should be really, it's essential imo) but if a muzzle didn't work then he would probably need to be sedated.

Can you point me towards any resources for muzzle training please, and which muzzle to use?

He needs to be trained using a basket muzzle but if he's a genuine bite risk they may use a tighter one for vet work.

The Dogs Trust have loads of free resources for muzzle training - but be aware that it can be take several weeks for dogs to be happy wearing them.

You can go to Pets at Home (or similar) to get one fitted.

We actually have a basket muzzle we have used before when we need to look at something on him which hurts and he hasn't let us willingly. He can get it off!

Do vets tend to use their own tighter ones when needed or would I need to take one?

Thanks for your advice @margotrose

Most vets should have muzzles available I should think so don't worry about that.

They shouldn't be able to take off a properly fitting muzzle but if they've not been desensitised to one they can be very determined

We trained our beagle to accept a muzzle using ham - he's never needed one as an adult but it's a good skill to have as dogs can be unpredictable when they're hurt or scared and you don't want to make them even more fearful by introducing something strange like a muzzle.

Muzzle training is a really good tip so thank you. I have had a look on the dogs trust website and will follow what they say, and get a well fitted one! Hopefully this makes vets trips easier as I am always worried about him getting ill because of it

My parents dog had to be muzzled for the vets, they called it his cheese basket he loved wearing it 😂 (never loved the vet though!)

I agree with pp , you need to get him muzzle trained but first you need to get one that fits .
Your vet / pets at home should be able to help with that.
The training will take a while , it's the kind of thing that shouldn't be rushed at all.

Obviously all dogs are different but roughly .

1 , First few days leave the muzzle where your dog can see / sniff it, near his bed/ food etc.

2 , Hold it let him sniff it , take it with you when you go for walks.

3, By end of week 1, sit on the floor hold the muzzle facing your dog in the other had hold a high reward treat at the 'nose' end of the muzzle so your dog can smell it through the cage.
As soon as he puts his nose close to the open end praise and reward instantly.

4, Bit by bit encourage him to put his nose in a bit further, this can take a while , be patient.
Feed him through the cage to encourage him to keep still and not try to back out of it.

5 , Once he puts his nose straight in every time and keeps still rub gently around his ears where the strap goes, Then gently fasten it.

6 , Release it straight away to start with , then keep it on for a minute, 2 mins ,3 mins etc .

7, He is likely to try to use his paws / furniture to rub it off so make sure you have some fun things to do , favourite toy, go find DH / DC etc.

8, Only when he and you are really comfortable with putting it on and not trying to get it off should you go outside with with him wearing it.

Under NO circumstances should you ever force your dogs nose in to it

Don't let him chew / mouth it , it will only make it harder in the long run. It's a training aid , not a toy

I muzzle mine for vet trips. He snaps when he’s afraid (although he’s a weirdo who loves the vet, he’s all waggy tailed and asking for scritches when he sees her) but I take no chances and the muzzle goes on before we are called into the room. We trained him with a basket muzzle, let him sniff the muzzle on the floor at his leisure when we first got it, then took it away and did it again the next day, with treats inside it this time. Then we held it in front of his face for a few seconds, followed by a treat. We repeated that but putting it further onto his face, for longer intervals each time until he could comfortably have his whole face in there and let us do it up. Slow and steady is key with muzzle training!