Sunday’s recap: 7 tips for making vet visits less stressful

If your dog enjoys going to the vet, don’t take that for granted. You’re one of the few pet parents that don’t have to drag their canine companion in through the door or coax him with treats just to get him in the car. A lot of dogs have anxiety about going to the vet, but with these tips for making vet visits less stressful you’ll be able to help your Fido understand that the vet’s office is nothing to get worked up about.

Dogs are smart. They know when we’re trying to trick them. You may be able to get Fido into his carrier easily the first couple of times, but after he realizes that he only rides in the carrier on his way to the vet, you’ll have a hard time ever getting him into it again. Making vet visits less stressful will take proper planning, time and patience.

According to Companion Animal Psychology, 30% of dogs are highly stressed while sitting in the waiting room at the vet’s office. And why wouldn’t they be? It’s a new environment that smells like a bunch of animals, there are new people coming in and out and they are unsure of what is going on. Not to mention, if your dog has had a negative experience at the vet, he’ll make the connection and be even more nervous about waiting his turn to enter the exam room.

If your dog’s stress about visiting the vet is severe, you can find more information about treatments in our articles on anti-anxiety vests and anxiety medications for dogs.

I’ve read numerous articles this week from trusted sources to find the best tips for making vet visits less stressful. I encourage you to read the articles yourself, but I’ve picked the top 7 tips to share with you here. If you have any additional tips to add, please leave a comment below to share them with other readers.

7 Tips for Making Vet Visits Less Stressful

1. Companion Animal Psychology

Along with their statistics on canine anxiety, this website also shares some interesting tips for making vet visits less stressful. The first thing you need to remember is not to make the vet the only place that you take your dog. If you only take him in the car when it’s time to go to the vet, he’s going to catch on very quickly.

Even if it’s just a quick trip to the post office, take your pet with you in the car regularly. If he goes for a ride with you a few times each month, he won’t know the difference when it comes time to go to the vet.

• …don’t only go for car rides when you’re going to an appointment- make sure your dog has fun outings too, to go for walks or accompany you on errands. That way the car doesn’t predict bad stuff.

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2. One Green Planet

The next thing you need to remember is that your dog can sense your emotions. If you get nervous and anxious when it’s time to go to the vet, he’s going to feed off of your emotions. Your stress will add to his stress and things will only get worse. As One Green Planet suggests in this article, you need to stay calm if you want Fido to stay calm.

• Take a deep breath and STAY CALM! Your animal will likely sense your tension and become stressed as well. We’ve viewed the research in regards to animal companions having the ability to lower human stress when people are in need of help. So let’s do our animal friends a favor and help lower their stress when it’s their turn for healthcare.

3. Advice from Pets-N-More

Now, let’s talk about how you’re going to get your dog into the vet’s office. If your goal is making vet visits less stressful, you need to make sure your pet is used to the method that you’ll be using to get him through the door. If you’re going to use a carrier, make sure he has plenty of time to get used to it before the first trip to the vet, and don’t use the carrier strictly for vet visits.

Much like the car, if you only use a carrier to take your dog to the vet, he’ll quickly catch on and you’ll have a hard time getting him to go inside the carrier. Likewise, if you’ll be walking your dog with a leash and harness/collar, make sure he’s properly leash trained before you take him to the vet. Pets-N-More has this to say about preparing your pet for the visit:

• If you do not plan on using a pet carrier for transport, train your dog to walk on a leash. A shorter leash or halter is best in this situation as it provides more control for the dog owner and prevents tangling with other animals or furniture. Leashes also provide a handhold for cases where aggressive behaviors among animals might otherwise get out of control.

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