“My dog hates the vet…”

Well, I like him! It can be stressful for a pet to go to the veterinarian, so we don’t take things personally when a pet wants to run or lash out.

This stress and fear can manifest in three big ways: fight, flight or pancake cat — aka, freeze. It’s all grounded in fear, often fear of the unknown. A pet might perceive a stethoscope as something

harmful. Even though this isn’t true, the animal brain is designed to protect itself by treating the unknown as potentially dangerous.

We do our best to reduce stress as much as possible in our clinic — from how we room patients to using pheromones, handling practices to medications. Sometimes it can seem like a bit much

to give anxiety medication to a dog who is just hiding under the chair at the vet. But hiding is still a manifestation of fear. If that same fear was manifesting as biting, we probably wouldn’t hesitate to treat it more directly.

Talk with your veterinarian about options to reduce stress at the vet. It might make everybody’s life, especially your pet’s, a little better for all future visits.

Brought to you by:

Josiah Moses, DVM | Eastgate Veterinary Clinic

In partnership with Ark Animal Hospital