Your VCA care team loves to see your dog. Sometimes, despite a pet owner’s best efforts to socialize their dog while they’re a puppy, young adult dogs develop anxiety around veterinary appointments. This anxiety can be like their very own form of “white coat syndrome.”
The veterinary team will use gentle, fear-free techniques to help alleviate anxiety in the clinic, but there are several things you can do to help reduce stress around veterinary appointments.
Tip 1: Get your young dog used to travel
If your dog learns that getting in the car means they’re going to the veterinary clinic, their anxiety may begin before they even walk through the clinic door. Take your dog on car rides for fun, to parks, to a drive-through and to visit friends and family. Make sure these are positive experiences for your dog. You can give them delicious treats throughout their travels and can try using calming pheromone sprays to help with travel anxiety.
Tip 2: Use positive reinforcement before, during and after appointments
Reward your dog with praise and treats (unless they’re being fasted) to help them understand that veterinary appointments aren’t all bad. Reward them when they get in and out of the car, when they walk into the clinic, when they get on the scale, when they let the veterinarian touch them and for a job well done after the fact. Don’t worry—the veterinary team may be rewarding them along the way, too!
Tip 3: Desensitize your young dog to handling
Your veterinarian will want to do a full physical exam on your dog. This means looking in your dog’s mouth, touching their ears, lifting their paws and touching their underbelly. You can help reduce anxiety at the veterinary clinic by getting your pet used to being touched at home. Treat your dog to praise and rewards as you do things like massage their ears or pick up their feet to help them accept the sort of handling they’ll have at the veterinary clinic.
Tip 4: Consider anti-anxiety medications for veterinary visits
For dogs who are extremely anxious, your veterinary team can prescribe antianxiety medications that you can give before your dog’s appointment. This will result in a less stressful appointment for your dog, for you and for the veterinary team.
Remember not to punish or yell at your dog for exhibiting anxious behaviors. We want your pet to learn that their anxiety is unnecessary and that veterinary appointments aren’t so bad. If you punish your dog or yell at them, they may become more fearful.
Find out more about how your VCA care team is using fear-free approaches to veterinary visits for dogs.
