All animals and humans when faced with lethal danger, harmful situations or
adversities will react accordingly. After all, trying to survive is deeply rooted into all species’ instincts. This can vary from self preservation to the most extreme “fight-or-flight” response.
As a veterinary technician I am glad I do not have to deal with the human side of this natural response. Dealing with animals can be harder in some ways because of language barrier, we cannot explain that we are trying to help and they cannot point out what is hurting or what is not normal if it is not presenting obvious signs.
When we first saw Tyson for a routine vet visit back in June 2018, he was anxious about handling and did not want anything to do with our instruments (stethoscope and otoscope). His mom informed us that he has been muzzled and handled somewhat roughly in the past. Just like any other living beings, dogs can be traumatized and like soldiers will panic if put back in that very situation that created the trauma in the first place. To put things in perspective just imagine having a giant being that is roughly 2 to 3 times your weight, that does not listen to all your protests, handle you roughly, immobilize you and eventually shackle your hands and feet (your means of defense) so they can poke you or prod you better. A simple needle can be as frightening as a machete when you are in that panicked state of mind. Since escape is not an option, fighting back becomes the go-to remedy, hence the necessity of the muzzle (or shackles according to our analogy).
If you’ve ever been in any traumatic event (car crash, attacked by a dog…) you should know how hard it is to get past the fear and anxiety that arise in a similar situation as the traumatic event. For instance I have lost control of my car on ice a few winters ago and totaled it. Now every time I drive and feel a slight loss of traction I immediately clench the steering wheel as a fear response. This is what prompted Tyson to react the way he did the first time we saw him. He was ready to fight us and would not tolerate any handling. Seeing how much Tyson was fighting us, Dr.Sappington decided to prescribe some anxiety medications (Pre-visit pharmaceuticals, or PVPs) to help take the edge off. Trazodone is the most commonly used PVP but is not the only one used. These medications do not “zonk” them out typically. It is comparable to a person drinking a beer or a glass of wine to de-stress after a particularly hard day. We have had good results with this PVP, but it was not cutting it for Tyson on his next visit. He was still on edge even though he allowed more procedures to be performed. He reached his limit before Dr. Sappington was able to finish the full examination so she decided that sedating would be the best plan of action to avoid reversing his improved trust. Sedation allows us to proceed with examinations, vaccinations and all other procedures without stressing the patient out.
With all his yearly vaccines administered and test run, Dr.Sappington and Tyson’s mom came up with a long term plan to desensitize him to the procedures. Mom has been working with Tyson at home. She got him used to all kinds of weird handling and poking that he would receive at the clinic. She started doing his grooming at home to reduce the stress he felt getting his hair cut. She was even able to train him to accept a towel “scarf”. The towel scarf is just a towel that is wrapped gently around the patient’s neck that helps to control the head movement. This allows the veterinarian to draw blood, administer vaccines, palpate the stomach and all other procedures without the possibility of the biting. The towel scarf method should not be used unless the patient has been used to it since it can increase their stress (from being unable to fight back). The towel scarf is best paired with a tasty treat or just some love from the technician if the patient is uninterested in treats. Mom has been a real champion in training Tyson to accept various handling methods; she set up the much needed “base” that the veterinary staff could build upon. Dr.Sappington and Tyson’s mom worked really hard and together through multiple behavior sessions in which handling is the only goal; they were able to mold Tyson’s view of handling. Overtime he allowed more and more procedures to be performed.
After just 4 of those handling sessions, extensive training by mom, some pre-visit
pharmaceuticals and lots of treats Tyson was ready to test his new skills in a full length examination. So Tyson came back for his examination. I had the pleasure of assisting Dr.Sappington in the examination. By this time his yearly vaccines and heartworm test were due. Tyson did great! He allowed a full exam with use of all of our instruments, vaccine pokes, and even a blood draw, while getting tasty treats from me and lots of love from Mom. He has truly come a long way and would not have without his mom’s dedication.
Fear is an essential part of life, but leaving in fear is neither healthy nor natural. Getting over one’s fear is one of most liberating experience one can have. Thanks to Mom’s patience and discipline, Dr.Sappington’s dedication and Tyson’s motivation for food, we were able to change his view of the hospital and handling from a fear inducing situation to a “food inducing” one albeit with a few pokes here and there.
Written by Ando
