Hi I'm new to posting here but have lurked for a very long time!
I have 2 staffies. My bitch is 5 years old and gets extrememly stressed out at the vets. She goes from a happy, waggy dog to a screaming banshee the minute we turn the corner to the vets.
She is going to be spayed in the next few weeks and I'm really worried about how she (and they!) will cope.
I am going to pop and see the vet and see what ideas she has but I was wondering if any of you had any tips or anything that may be worth trying.
I'm willing to try anything!
Thanks Lisa.

Maybe try bringing her in and having nothing done?  Do your vets have scales in their waiting room?  Ours encourage dog owners to come in and weigh their dogs so that the dogs have experience coming to the vets without anything traumatic happening.  Perhaps you could just visit them.  Or even give her some Rescue Remedy and go take her and park in their parking lot for a few minutes and then leave again?  And do this a few times - maybe once a day for a few days, then work up to going inside and on the scales and having the nurses play with her for a bit?

Just some ideas.

Wendy

Making the vets a fun place to be is definitely the best way to go. I didn't have this chance with Dylan, as I got him at 14 months and already hated vets. It will take a long time, but if you really work hard at making it a more pleasant place for her then it will make it easier on her. My 6 month old pup loves the vets, all the attention from other pet owners, nurses and vets and smelling all the cats and rabbits in their baskets. I had to have their blood tests done last week for pet passports, and Trinity just lay there licking the vets face while he took the blood out of her front leg. Dylan unfortunately was very stressed, despite being given a sedative while still at home. In the end I found that if the nurse held him and i stroked his face so that he closed his eyes then he was absolutely fine and was as good as gold, allowing the vet to take his blood no problems. As soon as we let go he was frantic again tho :-(

The last time he had to have a general anaesthetic I held him while it was given and then waited in the waiting room till he had dropped off before carrying him through to his cage myself (a 25kg lump is a lot more difficult to carry than I thought!) They called me to collect him as soon as he woke up tho, despite being assured that he would be too drowsy to realise where he was! As you only have a few weeks before she's spayed you might want to consider the same course of action. Maybe you could take her through a back entrance and into a different room? Good luck :-)

My current dogs have no problems at the vets & they even X rayed one with no sedation & he is the most sensitive of all my dogs

However my Beardie Heidi hated the vets due to a bad experience at another vets, when she had to be spayed we had to stay with her whilst she went under & be there when she awoke, totally the opposite another Beardie loved the vets after she had to have a course of injections to bring her into season & as they worked & she went on to have a litter which she adored I think she associated the vets with having puppies & not the injections

I would do what has been suggested & make visits there a common or garden think & no big deal, I would involve the vets I'm sure they will be only too willing to help

Thanks for all your replies. I am going to pop to see the vet later and se if she is willing for me to start bringing Hollie just to sit in the waiting room and have nothing done.
My other little man is a trooper at the vets and loves every minute of it. I was thinking of maybe trying to take them both together so she can see he loves it but wondered if that might make him nervous, if he see's her behaving like a loon he might follow!

My dog is the opposite.  We live across the road from the vets and she will lay flat on the floor at the gateway if I try and walk past without going in so she can say hello to the receptionists.
Strange because she is actually a timid dog and has a nasty illness and has for a few years had to have some very uncomfortable things done to her.  But she perks up there drags you in, runs round the back of the reception desk to see everyone and then tries to get out the back to see the vets and nurses.   Everytime a consultation room opens she tries to go in and its the only place she will growl at other dogs as she doesn't want them getting any attention there LOL.
Would advise in your case the same as the others have suggested spend some time in the waiting room and ask the receptionists to always come out and give your dog a fuss and perhaps a treat too.

Good Luck

Bev

I'd definitely try taking both, but get somebody else to hold your other one. Try and go when you know the surgery will be quiet so she can just watch and see how much your other dog loves it without worrying about a load of other dogs/people there. Dylan used to be absolutely terrified of fireworks and Trinity was only about 4 months old at fireworks night. I was worried his fear would rub off on her, but totally the opposite. He saw she wasn't at all bothered by them and now neither of them even bat an eyelid at them.

:-)

I've been in touch with the vet this morning and they are more than happy for me to start taking the whirling dervish in everyday to be desensitised!
I'm going to start today with just walking past the surgery. Then tomorrow take her in for 2 minutes and ignore her completely when she starts squealing. Then hopefully we can build on that.
Thanks for all the suggestions and I will let you know how we get on

We went out tonight with the intention of just passing by casually. I took Hollie a different way and as we approached there was no screaming! As we were about to walk by she voluntarily went to the door :) So as there was no-one else in we went inside and the vet told me to walk her round the consultation room while it was just me and Hollie. Still no screaming! So we came back to the waiting room and she gave a little squeal so we came out! But all in all it was quite successful!

Unbelievable as it sounds.....It's working already yay!
Hollie managed to sit in the waiting room for 15 minutes tonight with no squealing! She did whimper a little but soon settled down.
Then she had another wander around the consulting room and sat back down in the waiting room!
I'm going to carry on going every other day for now until she becomes so used to it it's like a second home.

Many many thanks for your time xxxx

I am a vet student and I know what you mean!!
Alot of dogs get really scared of the vets, all the smells, the other dogs there, the people and the dreaded white coats!!!
I know some people with your problem bring their vet in advance to book appointments for times where the surgery won't be that busy (eg latest evening appointment), so their dogs will spend minimal time in  the waiting room and there will be less people and animals there too!
best of luck!
Carol

Thanks Carol :D
We had a bit of a setback tonight when someone brought two puppies in who were about 5 months old. They both started barking at her and she didn't like that one bit! But she's doing ok...spaying is booked in for the 14th of feb.

sounds like you're doing well :-)  Hope it all works out.. valentine's day without your little girl? :-(   ;-)