Vet dilema....what would you do?

[TammyJM]

Originally Posted by KelMchel

Ok, so this morning I take Rylie to the vet for his worming, and last shots for now....This is only our second time with this new vet. Well.....Rylie tripped out lol he was all fierce and growling and even snapped, something he doesnt do! I mean he does the normal barking at strangers and stuff but this was too funny. Anyway as Rylie was barking the guy (vet) smacks Rylie on the nose...... is this normal? Have you all had this happen before? I was shocked.....I didnt know what to say? As he did it he said oh stop that....hmmm do I need a new vet or am I over reacting?

A vet should know to NEVER strike an animal! Your fur kid was already scared of him...how in the world did he think that hitting would help matters?! When we took one of our kitties to the vet, he was growling nonstop. He is harmless and would NEVER do anything other than make tough boy sounds. Anyway, our vet laughed at him and just continued with the exam and would, from time-time, call him tough and was still laughing at his growl. Your vet was WRONG for putting his hands on your fur kid in such a way!

[LilMissy]

I would FREAK OUT! I have never tapped, smacked, hit, or bonked one of my dogs on the nose. In the past I have used *touch* to discipline my dogs (never my yorkies, I haven't had to). I used the touch correction as Caesar Millan teaches and I would tap them with a finger or two on the side of the body. I use it just to surprise them, and never to hurt them. This was always with my larger dogs (20-70lbs), and that would be a huge correction that I would only use if they were really misbehaving. If my vet were to be the first one to hit my dog, I would be extremely upset. A smack on the nose is completely inappropriate IMO, and I would be finding another vet pronto. There are other ways to correct a dog's behaviour, you'd hope that he would know that. Did your dog actually touch the vet with his teeth? Maybe in that instance I could see it, because you do need to match the intensity of the dog while correcting them, but still....what a way to make Rylie more fearful of the vet!

Please don't leave the forum. Just ignore the posts that ruffle your feathers and learn from the rest. YT is an invaluable resource.

[AprilLove]

Originally Posted by KelMchel

I always ask myself "Kelly, are you SURE you want to post this on this forum" and again I said yes this time, surely I see now I shouldnt have....I see why so many are run off of this forum, you come here LOOKING for advice and you get torn apart. Thank you for your words of advice on Rylies behavior, first of all, I dont tolerate this behavior, it is the FIRST time ever he has done this, I believe that someone on here said perhaps it was the fact of WHERE he was and perhaps even he remembered that last time he was there, he got poked in the back with a very sharp thing that left him hurting several days....I for one believe that animals are very smart and that they can and do remember things. I want to thank those of you that felt that vet was a bit harsh.....I also want to say that this might be my last post, I dont come on this forum to have my feelings hurt, or have people say ugly things, true, your opinion is your opinion but sometimes that opinion shouldnt be spoken......

I totally agree with you here, and know this to be true from experience with one of mine. If your furbaby did this and has never acted like this before, it is very possible it was related to his last visit there.
The vet was in the wrong, no doubt about it. Hope you find another that you like. A lot of good vets will suggest you just come in and visit and meet with staff and get to know them before you even decide to take your furbaby to them. Check around, you might be surprised!

[Miss Behavin]

And, PS - my late girl, Casey, had to muzzled for any and all sorts of professional procedures. This may also be an option for your dog. Although, I'd be more concerned w/the dog turning temprament (as yours) at such a young age...

[Lolli_lah]

Originally Posted by KelMchel

I always ask myself "Kelly, are you SURE you want to post this on this forum" and again I said yes this time, surely I see now I shouldnt have....I see why so many are run off of this forum, you come here LOOKING for advice and you get torn apart. Thank you for your words of advice on Rylies behavior, first of all, I dont tolerate this behavior, it is the FIRST time ever he has done this, I believe that someone on here said perhaps it was the fact of WHERE he was and perhaps even he remembered that last time he was there, he got poked in the back with a very sharp thing that left him hurting several days....I for one believe that animals are very smart and that they can and do remember things. I want to thank those of you that felt that vet was a bit harsh.....I also want to say that this might be my last post, I dont come on this forum to have my feelings hurt, or have people say ugly things, true, your opinion is your opinion but sometimes that opinion shouldnt be spoken......

Not in defense of any one particular person, you DID ask peoples advice. That means you are asking them whether they agree with you or not. You say right there "thank those of you that felt the vet was a bit harsh", so are you only wanting people to agree with you? It's not wrong to want that, but maybe you should state in your post that you want to hear from others who agree with you on the subject instead.

There are a lot of people on this forum that are experienced yorkie owners and really like to get their points across, in this case someone as only saying you should address the aggression issue with care and not take lightly (as in, they do not know how you feel but are suggesting to you maybe to get help with the dog. they did later say you could get a trainers help). That's not something you should take as a blow, but as someone sending you a precautionary suggestion on what you could do.

Now I will also say this. Sometimes I have made a post and didn't get the type of replies that are soft and comforting as I would have liked. But that is the reality of it. If someone sees something as a serious situation, they will give you a serious answer. Sometimes people say things in text that seems harsh but they don't mean it to be that way. You just have to understand that the context in which you read something might not always be how the person replying meant it.

With that, I leave you with this also. Sometimes people want to give advice for worst possible scenario on what could be wrong or what could happen in the long run on a situation. This sometimes is confusing because, for example, not EVERY little problem (especially for a new owner like me) has to be brought to the attention of a vet EVERY time. It's ok to call the vet a million times to ask opinions.

Now my reply to the posts.. If you are too shy to say something to someone who is hitting your dog, then there is a bigger issue than the dog having an aggressive spell. What if someones dog in the future comes up to your dog and attacks it? Will you not say anything to that dogs owner? Hypothetical situation but the relevance lies within the well being of your dog, and you being able to speak up to someone who may be hurting your dog emotionally or physically. I would have said something to the vet. It's not too late to do so. Call up that vet and say that you didn't appreciate him hitting your dog and how the dog cowered down when he did such. Maybe ask him why he did it and what he thought it would accomplish. Then move on to another vet that suits your needs.

That's what I would have done, shy or not. So you should do the same, at least you will know what the vets true intentions were. Whether other people feel the vet was wrong or not, the main thing is that YOU are comfortable with taking your dog someplace. It doesn't matter if you think you were over reacting or if other people think you were, you should not pay someone and have them treat your furbaby if you don't trust them.

Anyway I hope you don't find THIS offensive, I just want to try to help you understand where people are coming from and how you can better handle the responses here. You will not always get a response you want to hear but you can't let that run you off of here, either. People do give really good information and lots of good tid bits for lots of important things and lots of fun things, too!

[Miss Behavin]

Originally Posted by AprilLove

I totally agree with you here, and know this to be true from experience with one of mine. If your furbaby did this and has never acted like this before, it is very possible it was related to his last visit there.
The vet was in the wrong, no doubt about it. Hope you find another that you like. A lot of good vets will suggest you just come in and visit and meet with staff and get to know them before you even decide to take your furbaby to them. Check around, you might be surprised!

Wait - let me understand this: OP came here seeking opinions. We should only express opinions that are in accordance, or say nothing at all? If OP already knew the answer, why did she create a post that sought differing opinions?

Just trying to learn the rules So, dissent is wrong, mean, and hurts feelings . Well, OP, keep laughing at vicious behavior, and see how many vetrinarians you go through, not to mention the general public

[AprilLove]

Originally Posted by Miss Behavin

Wait - let me understand this: OP came here seeking opinions. We should only express opinions that are in accordance, or say nothing at all? If OP already knew the answer, why did she create a post that sought differing opinions?

Just trying to learn the rules So, dissent is wrong, mean, and hurts feelings . Well, OP, keep laughing at vicious behavior, and see how many vetrinarians you go through, not to mention the general public

Not sure why you quoted me here, but to address your post, all the original post was asking for was whether or not we thought she was over-reacting to the action of her vet. She did not appear to be looking for opinions on how "viscous" (assumption here) her pups behavior was.
The rules of the forum are posted at the top in stickys
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...uidelines.html

[Miss Behavin]

was a mistake, and as for my misspelled word, 'vicious', I was typing on my iPhone. So, I'm back at my MacBook and flawless spelling. Sorry if I offended you.
As for the rules, thanks, but I saw nothing about expressing dissent. I do applaud you for playing the hallway monitor, though. Thanks!

[AprilLove]

Originally Posted by Miss Behavin

was a mistake, and as for my misspelled word, 'vicious', I was typing on my iPhone. So, I'm back at my MacBook and flawless spelling. Sorry if I offended you.
As for the rules, thanks, but I saw nothing about expressing dissent. I do applaud you for playing the hallway monitor, though. Thanks!

LOL

PS, my using the word viscous had nothing to do with you misspelling it.

[AprilLove]

Originally Posted by Miss Behavin

was a mistake, and as for my misspelled word, 'vicious', I was typing on my iPhone. So, I'm back at my MacBook and flawless spelling. Sorry if I offended you.
As for the rules, thanks, but I saw nothing about expressing dissent. I do applaud you for playing the hallway monitor, though. Thanks!

This is from Rule number #1 posted in YorkieTalk rules and Guidelines

"Please be civil and do not personally attack anyone or their opinions. If you disagree with their approach or method, feel free to reply, but do it in a civil way. Or you can choose to ignore their post altogether. YorkieTalk is not the place for rude, snide, or disrespectful remarks towards your fellow member or towards YorkieTalk itself. We also do not tolerate members that take advantage of our community"

[Miss Behavin]

Originally Posted by AprilLove

LOL

PS, my using the word viscous had nothing to do with you misspelling it.

UNLESS, I was referring to a possible android Yorkie of the future. That may usher in new uses for caustic soda & carbon bisulfide. And, needing copious amounts of high-viscosity oil for refills

[Miss Behavin]

Originally Posted by AprilLove

This is from Rule number #1 posted in YorkieTalk rules and Guidelines

"Please be civil and do not personally attack anyone or their opinions. If you disagree with their approach or method, feel free to reply, but do it in a civil way. Or you can choose to ignore their post altogether. YorkieTalk is not the place for rude, snide, or disrespectful remarks towards your fellow member or towards YorkieTalk itself. We also do not tolerate members that take advantage of our community"

Where was I rude, snide, or disrespectful? I did disagree, but I felt I did so in a fashion that was both civil & respectful. And, she (OP) could have chosen not to read my posts (as well as the others that offended her ) It kind of goes both ways, as I see it. She asked a question, I answered. Cased closed, as I see it.
Civility is pretty subjective and that rule is wide open for interpretation

Seriously, I wasn't deliberately being an a@@.

[BellaBlue82]

Originally Posted by JeanieK

I think you are over reacting.

I'm sure it was not a smack hard enough to hurt him, most likely more of a tap with one or two fingers, just enough to let him know this is not acceptable behavior.

I propbably would have done the same thing if I were trying to give one of mine a shot and they were barking and growling.

It's called discipline, and highly recommended, because if you ignore the behavior, it will only get worse.

I agree with the disciplining thing, but not if it's not your dog to discipline. Like I said before, it's the same thing with children. I would never allow someone else to smack my kids, it's not appropriate. If the dog was making that much of a fuss, I'm sure that Kel could have taken care of it herself if she felt that her baby was out of order.

[BellaBlue82]

Originally Posted by AprilLove

Your vet was out of line. Period.
A professional would have told you (his owner) that that was unacceptable behavior and to get your dog under control. The vet could have refused to treat, examine, etc, your dog until you had him under control, or he could have asked you to leave. He did not have to hit him. Because it is your job and responsibility to teach your dog manners, not the vets.

I would get another vet. Doesn't matter whether the tap was a light tap or not, he should not have tried to discipline unless he was in fear for him self, which doesn't seem to be the case.

bottom line, it is your choice where you take your furbaby for care. But it is also your responsibility to train, socialize and raise him to be a good canine citizen

[Nico29]

[QUOTE=BellaBlue82;2947644]I

There was probably a reason that your baby was growling at him, you know they say that dogs can sense evil lol. Would you go back to a doctor that hit you?

Very well said!! I would have stormed out telling all the other furparents what just happened. I'd be calling a news station tonight. In my opinion....just like BellaBlue 82 wrote, dogs, like young children innately know if someone is a good person or not. I'm terribly sorry you had to go through this and by informing the public they might choose to go elsewhere.