What is it with the vet taking my dog away...

[jeane]

My vet does take Morgan away for some stuff. I trust my vet,been going there for the last 15 years

[Ellie May]

I can understand the concern. It is completely variable between vets and practices. I would not force the vet to do things in front of you. Instead, if unhappy, I'd nicely ask. If that didn't work there are many other vets out there.

That said, while some do everything including exam in the back here, others do the exam with the owners and the rest in the back. Mine does exams and sometimes vaccines with the client. Most procedures are done in the back.

Can you imagine a new owner watching a blood draw and not realizing it is taken from the jugular? Cysto? Owner gets scared. Dogs gets upset. Some dpgs are easier to handle without the owner present. It is much faster, esp. in a large hospital, to do things in back where the techs and assistants are in treatment just waiting to fill vaccines, restrain, etc. And most importantly there is an increasing fear of lawsuits. In MI, if an animal hurts an owner, even accidentally, while owner is restraining, the vet can be sued. Owners almost never restrain for even remotely painful procedures here.

It is warranted and completely acceptable for vets to take the animal away.

If that isn't okay then I'd move on instead of putting the doctors and techs in an uncomfortable position.

But snarky comments like the one the derm made are not acceptable and I wouldn't return.

[Magnus]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

Kaji is one of those dogs. He loves the vet, but when it's shot time, or time to draw blood, all he does is struggle to get to me. Remove me from the room, and he knows to wait there because I always come back. He's just easier to work with without me there. Even getting him on the scale is a challenge because he wants me to hold him.

Magnus/Zoey gets like that when they get their nails grinded at petsmart. For this stuff, I'd like to stay and watch but they become so difficult to handle. I just leave and hide out by the isle and watch the groomer like a hawk. I want to make sure they handle my furbutts appropriately.

I've heard from a friend that she saw a groomer at another petsmart shake her dog b/c she wasn't being cooperative. The groomer must have not realized she was being watch... When my friend confronted her, her reaction was basically: oh.. umm.. I'm so sorry but she was being so difficult and.. blah blah... Anyway, I don't know why my friend didn't ask for the manager and complained.

[gracielove]

There are three vets at the clinic we go to. There is one that did that to me ONCE. I had a cat in for a check up. He said that he "thought" he saw ear mites in the cat's ear. Rather than swab the ear and look under a microscope like every other vet I have known for the past 50 some years he grabbed up my cat and took him out back. When he came back he said they had cleaned his ears and given him ear mite medication.

The cat's ears were clean as far as the eye could see BEFORE the guy took him out back. The vet never told me why he was taking my cat out back. He just took off with him. I would certainly not have wanted a "cleaning" if I had been asked. I have seen cats with bad cases of ear mites but my cat did not have a speck of dirt in his ears. If he had mites they must have been very deep down in the ear canal. Henry came back with a wet head and very upset.

Now when I make an appointment I make sure of which vet I will be seeing because that was the last straw with that particular vet. Unless there is a more complex procedure that needs to be done no one is taking any of my pets out of my sight. I have had to help hold many cats, dogs, rabbits, ferrets and even birds for a variety of examinations at the veterinarian's office over the years. Why they think they need to go behind close doors all of a sudden is beyond me.

[BellarousasMom]

Fortunately my vet office know me as crazy. Not in a bad way, I've taken Bella in for things and shed tears, just because she's my baby. LOL Last Feb was her dental, and when I could pick her up they told me they had to extract teeth. I was a mess. They put up with my emotions more than my babies illnesses. I feel for them when they have to deal it.

[Candescence]

My vet did this to me a couple of times. After the first time I asked them why and they said that it's easier for pet parents. I told her that I wasn't sensitive to watching my pups get vaccinations and other procedures. The second time that they did it I was pissed because one of my pups has bad reactions to shots so I make sure she gets benadryl first. However, they have to wait 15 mins after the benadryl before they give the shot for it to be effective. I don't think the vet tech knew that they were supposed to wait and my pup was in pain. Had I been in the room that would not have happened. Needless to say there will not be anymore vet visits when I'm not in the room. Sometimes vets do this because it's quicker for them and sometimes they do it because they assume that people that have toy breeds are super sensitive. Either way, just make sure you advocate for yourself and your pup. Especially if something makes you feel uncomfortable. Better safe than sorry.

[theporkieyorkie]

The neurologist Prince goes to does this when he's getting blood work or x-rays etc etc. Normally, I might be upset...except for Prince is far from normal. He actually behaves much better when I am not in the room....at the vets and otherwise. If I am around, he doesn't want anyone else to touch or handle him...and I think my nervous energy rubs off on him.

The new vet I took Ricky too also did it when I had his anal glads expressed. Perhaps they didn't want the stink to get all over...IDK...but that did make me feel a bit uncomfortable since it was our first visit there.

I used to have no problem dealing with other dogs when I worked at a vet clinic, but for some reason, I have a really hard time when it comes to the boys getting shots, bloodwork etc etc. at the vet. I can't stand to watch them squirm or cry...it really bothers me.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by theporkieyorkie

The neurologist Prince goes to does this when he's getting blood work or x-rays etc etc. Normally, I might be upset...except for Prince is far from normal. He actually behaves much better when I am not in the room....at the vets and otherwise. If I am around, he doesn't want anyone else to touch or handle him...and I think my nervous energy rubs off on him.

The new vet I took Ricky too also did it when I had his anal glads expressed. Perhaps they didn't want the stink to get all over...IDK...but that did make me feel a bit uncomfortable since it was our first visit there.

I used to have no problem dealing with other dogs when I worked at a vet clinic, but for some reason, I have a really hard time when it comes to the boys getting shots, bloodwork etc etc. at the vet. I can't stand to watch them squirm or cry...it really bothers me.

Nobody likes to see their babies go through unpleasant procedures. I'm glad a lot of the things to on without my seeing them. I don't want to see them take kaji's blood. That would really upset me.

[SWHouston]

I have somewhat of a dilemma...
I have no problem seeing my guys handled, and expect a occasional "yelp" when an injection or uncomfortable procedure is necessary, but...
When it's my Adult Male, he's SO protective/possessive about me, it's hard for anyone to approach "us", without him going totally nuts. If I have any of my other guys with us, he triggers them to get upset. Sometimes I just have to give in, and let them take him away from me. But, my Vet always gives me the choice to be right there.

[Lovetodream88]

My vet will do everything in the room except obviously xrays. I am ok with them taking them into the back for anal expression (yuck) and taking blood. Everything else I just let them do in the room. My vet doesn't mind at all. I also trust my vet and the vet techs though and I know they will treat Callie right its another reason why I take her there to get groomed also because they love her and know her very well.

[Tphelps]

My vet does everything rightin front of me and explains it as he goes. They alo love on my pups and talk to them. But my pups still scoot into my arms. They don't like other people holding them

[Verbena]

My vet has never taken any of my crew out of the room for routine stuff. I was even in the room for they trying to get a stool sample out of my Kitty I stay pretty calm at the vets because I know how nervous they are. And it seems to calm them down . . .most of the time

[Sukey]

funny timing on this post…..my previous vet never took my dogs out of the room (this was years ago). Yesterday I took Lilah to vet to get her DAPP shot and they said they would take her in the back to do it. I told them no, I'll go with her and they said well then we have to put you in a room (and that's a problem?)

I then wanted to verify what they were giving, they said distemper and bordatella….I told them no, just the distemper. Then I added that I did not want the Lepto one (not sure why I mentioned this, maybe just my spidey sense kicking in). The girl said Oh you don't want the lepto? Were they really going to give this to my puppy without asking?!?!

I ended up carrying her back to a room and looked at the shot before they gave it to her. I asked if they could write down the info (bc I forgot her fax record book) meaning I wanted the lot # etc (same thing I did with my kids) and all I got from them was a paper that said she got the DAPP

[Britster]

The only time they've ever taken Jackson in the back was for x-rays, I believe. Oh and maybe bloodwork.

I don't really like him being taken away from me, but I've never questioned it. Routine things have always been done with me in the room... vaccines, basic check-ups, etc.

Jackson is actually the kind of dog that does better WITH me. He is the most terrified dog EVER with strangers and people at the vet. Every time he has to go into the back without me, he comes back smelling horrid because he's expressed his anal glands he was so scared. He doesn't do that when he's with me and other people.

But I do understand the reasoning and because most owners probably would just make it worse. So it's just something we deal with.

Originally Posted by Sukey

funny timing on this post…..my previous vet never took my dogs out of the room (this was years ago). Yesterday I took Lilah to vet to get her DAPP shot and they said they would take her in the back to do it. I told them no, I'll go with her and they said well then we have to put you in a room (and that's a problem?)

I then wanted to verify what they were giving, they said distemper and bordatella….I told them no, just the distemper. Then I added that I did not want the Lepto one (not sure why I mentioned this, maybe just my spidey sense kicking in). The girl said Oh you don't want the lepto? Were they really going to give this to my puppy without asking?!?!

I ended up carrying her back to a room and looked at the shot before they gave it to her. I asked if they could write down the info (bc I forgot her fax record book) meaning I wanted the lot # etc (same thing I did with my kids) and all I got from them was a paper that said she got the DAPP

Wow, that's ridiculous!

[yorkiemini]

You guys are the best
I don't feel so much like the CRAZY dog lady after reading your responses.
I think what threw me was that Cali's regular ver I have know for eons, this dermatology vet I had never met before, so I was not comfortable letting them take her away from me. I have high standards about how my dog is treated by anyone. Although I wanted his expertise maybe he was just too cocky for my liking, but something just was not comfortable. It was like he felt totally I charge - did the feminist in me rear it's ugly head? - not sure, but when he made the condescending crack about what would I do.....well golly, I was rather proud of myself afterwards that I had not said something I regretted, but he got the message.

By the time I got home my regular vet was calling to see how it went. In addition to the prescriptions she wanted to know if I thought he was good. He is pretty much the only derm vet in my area, so I had to think a out it. He did. Or blow me off - I'm sure he has seen much worse than Cali's clacking skin, and I did feel he was competent and he answered all do my questions well.

So the bottom line is - I feel I am the only advocate Cali has and she is a dependent little animal. Most would not understand she is the light of my life!
So I will always be protective of her, but up it seems to me that a vet would get that.

When I was I medical school I remember a tough old instructor telling me one day when could not find anything wrong with a baby that had been brought into the ER, that I needed to keep looking, because no one knows there kid better than their mom and if she says something is wrong I better respect that.

So maybe it was all out respect and protection, and feeling like the vet should understand that.