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| - I would like to start off by saying that this is based off of a one time experience. However, I feel as though it should be taken into consideration by people who have big dogs who do not do well on vet visits. Particularly if they are a breed that is seen as dangerous or aggressive by society.
My 7 year old blue nose pit gave us the scare of our lives a few weeks ago when he ingested a whole pack of sugar free gum. He was taken to an emergency vet and they took fantastic care of him. He is typically very vocal and growly at the vet. The staff did a fantastic job of working with him. When I visited him the next morning, he was happy and seemed to be very comfortable. Aside from muzzling him for safety purposes when they were poking him and doing blood work, they had no complaints about his behavior.
Since we recently moved from Pennsylvania and did not have a regular vet, they referred us to three for his follow up. I made an appointment at this location and made sure to let them know that he does not always do well at the vet and I explained his typical behavior. The person I spoke with kind of brushed it off and said it would be fine--she would make a note.
When my boyfriend arrived, he had our dog muzzled. This is typical of his vet visits since he is never happy to be there. Our dog was barking and growling, as I explained he would do when I made his appointment.
My boyfriend went back to the room with the staff and the vet suggested that our dog may do better if he waited outside of the room. After a few minutes, the vet told my boyfriend that he did not feel safe and therefore would not treat our dog. They offered no accomodations (such as sedation) and did not refer us to any other vets who may have experience handling a dog like ours.
My dog needed blood work in order to check to make sure his liver was stable and healthy. I was alarmed that the vet refused to treat our dog who was in need and did not offer any alternatives.
I understand not wanting to be bit and wanting your staff to be and feel safe. However, they need to be clearer about their abilities to work with dogs especially when they are given a heads up on behavioral concerns. Our dog was also muzzled, and therefore, could not have bitten anyways.
By the way, I was able to schedule an appointment with another vet and I gave them the same forewarning. They assured me that they would be able to take care of my dog and had alternatives in place (such as an option to sedate him if necessary) and that we would not be turned away again.
Our dog did fantastic at this appointment. He was comfortable and did not bark OR growl while we waited, were escorted to his room, or when the vet was talking to me. He did get vocal when they did the blood work, but the staff handled him very well.
Overall, I am glad that this location did not do the blood work because I am concerned about how uncomfortable and uneasy my dog was from the time he walked in. After seeing the difference in his behavior and level of ease at the second place, I am wondering what it was about this location that made him so upset.
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