Nicola O Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Hello, Popped into my vets this morning to seeif I can have a sedative for my little Terrier when she needs to go in for her booster next month. They said that they could not give her anything without giving her a check up first (check her heart etc. which I suppose is a good idea) The problem I have is - at home she is a lovely calm, sweet natured, affectionate little dog who is a joy to live with. At the vets she becomes noisy, frightened, snappy & aggresive. The vet can never give her a health check and I can barely hold her whilst she gets her jab. As she is like this the vet won't be able to look her over before giving me the sedative (I mean, give me the tablet to give to Freda for when we go back for jab - not for me to take the sedative ) Someone in the waiting room suggested giving her some Bach Flower Remedies, but though I've heard of them I don't know much about them. I suppose all of Freda's aggression comes from fear, she must of had a bad experience at a vets before I got her from the RSPCA. So, is there a remedy for fear?, or something to just calm her down or help the aggression? Anything anyone can suggest would be appreciated as I am fed up with 'fighting' her with when we get there just to keep her still and she is now getting a label of 'difficult and aggressive' at vets. Hope someone has an idea. Nicola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I use the Bach rescue remedy spray for when I fly as I get anxious in confined spaces where I cannot get out. I am not sure if it is just in my head,but it does seem to work for me (& it tastes yummy!) Our old Staffie used to be terrified on Bonfire Night & like you we had run out of her usual meds,so we tried the bach stuff on her & it worked a treat. Bach remedy for a dog - it sould work,shouldn't it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Hi Nicola O, I use Bach Flower Rescue remedy all the time and first came across it when my little terrier Ted was caught on the face by another dog. A lady gave Ted some driect onto the wound and also sprayed some into his mouth and she gave me some too as i was in a right state cos i was worried about Ted! Try looking at www.bachfloweressences.co.uk You can usually find each remedy at your local health shop. Good luck! PS the Rescue Remedy is a good 'all rounder!' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola O Posted July 18, 2006 Author Share Posted July 18, 2006 Many thanks Sarah and Emma Sorry about my first post waffling on a bit, but if I just said that I wanted something for snappiness and aggresion you might had thought it was for me Nicola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Yep, used to give my Airedale terrier Bach's rescue remedy for stress. Also sprinkled lavender oil on her bedding etc. Just a couple of drops of rescue remedy in his drinking water for a few days before the visit.... Any chance you could acclimatise hin to the vets, ie. just pop him into the waiting room, let the receptionist give him a biscuit and take him home again a few times? at what stage does he get stressed? car? going through the door? Waiting room? Consulting room? You'd ned to build it up slowly.... or pay the vet to do a home visit if its really awful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Bachs is brill - I dont care if its in my mind - it works for me!! You can actually get something similar for dogs - cant recall what it is called, but you can get them for agression / nerves etc. Good idea about aclimatising as well And treating her when she behaves well at the vet. What about the vet treating her in a different room from you - thats what they do with Mink when the need to squeeze his glands (eeeuuuuwwww) - that way he is not stressed out and trying to "guard" us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Oh Nicola ive just remembered you can try Sculcap & Valerian tablets from Dorwest Herbs too. Its great for anxiety, nervousness etc Have your doggy on them for a few days before they are due at the vets and you should see a difference. I would also use the rescue remedy too. As they are both herbal your doggy should not be 'drugged up' but 'chilled out'. Hope this is of use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola O Posted July 18, 2006 Author Share Posted July 18, 2006 Thanks for good ideas Annie and Mel (or was it Paul) Freda starts getting stressed in the waiting room, but there she is just noisy (getting me all embarassed with her constant barking) but I've found taking doggie choc drops with me takes her mind off it because she is focused on the chocolate. The real problem starts in the surgery as soon as she gets on the table and she is so wary of the vet that she won't keep still, and as they try to touch her she can be snarly, snappy and sometimes downright aggresive. I have tried the doggie choc drops whilst in the room with vet and they were more than happy to spend a couple of minutes feeding her so she would relax and after a few visits like this I felt we were getting somewhere. Then two visits ago a different vet simly said that she 'didn't have time to pander to her' and just stuck a muzzle on her. Now I know the vet doesn't want to get bitten so the reasoning behind the muzzle was fine, but it made Freda freak out totally and I couldn't even hold her on the table. It was a very distressing trip for all. Last visit the choc drops didn't work - I think she remembered the trauma of the trip before. I've tried the 'social visits' where we just pop in to say hello, have a biscuit and go home, but it has not made any difference. Perhaps as you say, leaving the room may help her as she can obviously pick up on my stress as well as her own. Sorry to waffle again Nicola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola O Posted July 18, 2006 Author Share Posted July 18, 2006 Thanks Emma Could be worth a try. My dad just suggest a big mallet but I'm sure he is only joking, he loves Freda really Nicola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 We thought about that with Minky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 hmm. Pretty unreasonable vet really if he wasn't prepared to help out with the choccy drops trick! Does she (sorry, should have read your post more clearly earlier) have to go on the table? I'd get stressed being put up there too! A nice vet is always happy to treat them on the floor! Does she ever get lifted up anywhere else? Is this the problem? Again, when we were getting Molly used to the idea of going to her hairdressers, we used to get her up onto the coal bunker and feed her! The size she is, that was no mean feat, I can tell you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Least you dont have to do it with the donkeys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Just a warning - don't give your pets "medicines" meant for humans unless you have reliable evidence it is safe to do so for that species. I've heard of cats dying after being treated with tea tree oil - their livers are very poor at processing toxins Also, "herbal" doesn't equal "safe" - there are loads of lethal plants out there, including ones that have some poisonous parts and some edible (like tomato leaves vs. fruit). Plants' active ingredients are drugs, just ones produced by Mother Nature instead of Smith Kline Beecham (or whatever they are calling themselves these days). OK, zoologist's rant over Hope the doggie has a calmer time next visit Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola O Posted July 19, 2006 Author Share Posted July 19, 2006 Yes - she does go on the table at home when she's had a bath and I come her out so she can look beautiful. She is OK then. And I have tried keeping her on the floow in the vets but she is not much better. Redfox - that is a very good point about herbal remedies, I hadn't really thought about that before so we'll be careful and only try something that someone else has used before on a dog. And yes, she was a very unpleasant and unhelpful vet, I didn't like her at all but fortunatley she's left now. Nicola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannie Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Has anyone tried using bach flower remedies on chickens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Yes We did on Barbara when she cut her toe off (we also drank loads of it ourselves as it was our first sight of chicken blood ) Jerryldene also got some after the woggle attack Dont know if it did make any difference - but they are both still well and here and laying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Are you laying too then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellcat Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Rescue remedy is great, but bear in mind it has a base of Brandy that the herbal bit is put in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 I am sure they do a non alcoholic version of Rescue Remedy now C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Yes , just checked, it is for sale on Higher Nature (makers of Citricidal) site, and is called Emergency Spray. C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola O Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 Rescue remedy is great, but bear in mind it has a base of Brandy that the herbal bit is put in! Perhaps the alcohol version would be better for Freda, or perhaps I could just pour half a bottle of Brandy into her, then she won't care where she is let alone want to savage the vet . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Or perhaps you could just gulp down the brandy then YOU wont care if she savages the vet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola O Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 An even better idea !! Nicola. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellcat Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Rescue remedy is great, but bear in mind it has a base of Brandy that the herbal bit is put in! Perhaps the alcohol version would be better for Freda, or perhaps I could just pour half a bottle of Brandy into her, then she won't care where she is let alone want to savage the vet . Did you see just after my posting that apparently you can get a non alcoholic version? We have a plug in thingy that releases doggy pheromones that calms our pointer down during end October - beginning November, as she is scitzoid about fireworks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
