Muzzle for vets

[piccolopuppy]

My dog has a painful long-term condition and due to the nature of the condition, he gets poked and prodded at the vets at a time when he is already in pain. He is a very sweet boy who has never even come close to biting someone, but I'm considering muzzle-training him as a precaution.

Can anyone advise on the type of muzzle that would be best? He'd only need to wear it for the physical exam so I'm thinking the nylon sleeve-type would be fine?

I'm all good with the actual muzzle training process 😊Thanks!

Baskerville, so you can poke treats through while wearing it.

Thanks, but there's no way he would take treats while being physically examined - plus I have to hold him so wouldn't be able to give them.

But you would need to use treats to muzzle train him to begin with.

I would use a Baskerville muzzle and use treats to train him to wear it.

Baskerville is the easiest to train with, in my experience. And slowly - there is lots of advice online about how to do it, as I imagine you already know, OP.

I squeezed Primula into the end of the muzzle to get him to put his nose in, then more when it was actually on. Found he will let the vet do almost anything just with Primula!

The Baskerville type ones are better, easier to train as firstly not as constrictive to start with so they’re less bothered about them and you can give treats easier. I also find it less hassle to put the muzzle on before going inside the vets so you can still give treats in the waiting room etc., it also means he can pant if he’s stressed.

Mine also gets trazadone before vet visits - might be worth asking about?

It depends on the shape of your dog, I got a greyhound type one from the muzzle shop https://www.themuzzleshop.com/muzzles. They were really helpful with the fitting too. Important that it fits well! A Baskerville didn't fit my very average size and shaped dog, apparently she has a tiny head

Thanks everyone 😊