Monday, November 4, 2014 was a very busy day for the Stillwells. Paulie had his first official vet appointment and were very anxious on many levels. We knew Paulie was reactive to other dogs so going to the vet was the last place we wanted to be. After suiting the little man up with a collar, harness and leash, we headed out the door to buckle him up in the SUV. He became very excited and panting all the way there. Other patients were coming in and out so we tried to time it where we were the only ones out in the parking lot. As we reached the front door, Paulie became very anxious and started barking and peeing everywhere. We let him finish then we walked into the lobby. My worst fears came to life. Dogs were everywhere you looked. Now, we had to wait to check in and waited more before our name was called. My one pet peeve was with pet owners that think your dog is friendly so they allow their dog to come close. Not cool people. Why do they do this? Didn't they see my dog isn't liking it? Rich had to pick up Paulie and kept him close. I asked the staff when where we going to be seen so we could get out of the lobby.
Finally, we were called into a room as we collapsed on the bench. Paulie was so agitated that we couldn't calm him down. There had to be a better way of dealing with a stressed pet at the vet's office. I had ideas, however, this wasn't the time to bring it up. A few minutes later the vet came into the room. We explained to her that Paulie was adopted the day before and per the adoption paperwork we needed to bring him in for an exam. We didn't know much about his past, however, we would need recommendations for training and anything else in dealing with a senior dog. She agreed and started the exam then took Paulie in the back for a urine and blood sample. It turned out Paulie probably never had a dental cleaning in his life and needed one. He had some skin condition probably due to the stress while at the shelter so a medication was prescribed for that. His anal sacs needed to be expressed which we had no clue what that was. The vet explained that little dogs are prone to this sac filling up which causes the dog to rub their bottoms on the floor. They are also prone to having dental issues. Well, we learned two new things today that we never dealt with while owning cats. The tests results would be back in a day or so. He was good with his vaccines and the flea/tick and heartworm pill would start in December. We were all set to go home. Instead of going through the lobby again, we opted to go out the side door in the back where the exam rooms
10/3/2023: My recommendation is to call the vets office ahead of time and see if they have a separate room to place a reactive dog while waiting. The lobby isn't the room to be. Now, I have a real issue with these retractable leashes and many vet offices don't allow them. They are dangerous not only to the dog, however, to others. Use a regular leash. I had an unattended dog outside wrap his retractable leash around my ankles while I was walking Paulie. This will be a different blog.