Oakley has come a LONG way with his vet visits over the past few years. We used to have to muzzle him for vet appointments as he was very on edge and I wasn’t sure if he would bite if he panicked. Now he goes in happily and just munches away on his treats for his whole visit and we don’t even bring the muzzle with us anymore.
Here’s what we’ve been doing for him:
He gets calming meds a few hours before the appointment, which helps him relax and not worry about weird handling.
Staff has always been really patient with him, waiting until he is comfortable enough to take food before doing things.
He always gets lots of high value treats paired with any procedure he’s having done
Emla cream numbs the site where he’s getting any injections so he doesn’t even notice the needles.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a vet on your team that understands how to make vet visits as fear-free as possible.
Thank you Beaverdale Veterinary Clinic for making things so easy for Oakley!
