A ride to the Vet can cause a lot of stress!

On the day I took Mrs Dog to the vet, she thought that she was just getting a Ride! In! The! Car!

I put her in the car and left the driveway and she was very happy, engaged and enjoying the experience thoroughly... until I turned North on Federal.   At that point she began to suspect the evil V.. E.. T..

Evil isn't the word, they have some wonderful people there, bar none.   I've always found the experience a wonderful thing bonding with the women and men who work there.   Animal People are generally a more warm group of people than those who don't have pets in their lives, and the folks there are certainly no exception. 

One of Lettie's favorite things is riding in the car, and that certainly was the case until I pulled into the lot.   At that point, the ears went flat against the head, the tail stopped wagging and she begun to look stressed.  It is a shame because really they've treated her like she's one of the family but at 9 years old, she's now a senior and won't change.

I think every square inch of the property got sniffed twice.   She did her business and got in where she proceeded to sniff ever square inch of the lobby.  I swear that dogs and probably cats when stressed set out hormones that other dogs and cats smell.   Perhaps it is the adrenalin rush of the situation, but I've never seen Lettie be happy in a place like the Vet or a large Pet Friendly store.   It just doesn't happen.

While she's a healthy dog, and at 9 she's getting her baseline blood work, she does need some teeth cleaning done.   There's just no way that will happen.  If I look at her teeth, she will tend to sneer at me and I'm her primary caregiver.  I can't trust her to have her teeth cleaned unsedated, she'll get snappy and the work won't get done.  The last time and the first time that she had her teeth cleaned was two years ago.  They sedated her and she slept the next three days and was groggy for another two days.   I just won't put her through that again.

Well, it is truly all done until this time next year when Ride! In! The! Car! gets to cause some stress.   But they gave her some great treatment and lots of hugs and cookies and sent us on our way with heartworm meds and flea and tick drops for the next six months.

The stress is all in her mind.  I can't recommend this vet more highly.  They're excellent and if my dog doesn't understand the situation, it really is her problem, not theirs.

Silly dog!  All Done!