# Why does the vet want to leave the room?



## Tryin (Oct 27, 2013)

The vet asked if i wanted her to take puppy in the other room to give the shots. I declined. It seemed a little suspicious to me. I know that it may have been so that the dog doesnt associate me with the pain, but does anyone allow their pet to get shots done out of their line of sight? I don't let them take my human kids into another room for shots. I'm just wondering if i'm missing something here. What is your experience?

Also, if you give your own shots, how do you keep "proof" of shots?


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

I know sometimes dogs (human kids too) play up more when the owner is in the room.... but I don't like it either. 

I can hold my dog for a procedure just as well as a vet tech can and the dog is calmer with me present. 

I hate it when they take my dog away from me for treatment in this country (UK), that doesn't happen with my Slovak vet (which I go to when I visit my parents).... I am even allowed to watch a surgery if I wish so!


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## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

I'd ask the vet why he wants you to leave the room or take the dog out of the room. There could be a legitimate reason or it could be something that other patients prefer or it may simply be easier for the vet or techs. 

Our vet doesn't take Katie out of the room for vaccinations. At our last heartworm / tick-disease test was with the tech only, so Katie went alone with the tech since she wasn't in an exam room. Our previous vet would take our cat out of the room to collect urine samples - I assume that was because it could be difficult for an owner to watch and to say our cat was uncooperative would be an understatement.

I understand that I need to advocate for my dog, but if I didn't trust my vet I would find a new one (and I've done just that).


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## janet6567 (Mar 11, 2014)

After having a bad experience with a previous vet, I prefer to remain in the room with my girls for everything. I have a new vet whom I trust totally; he has never suggested taking the girls from the room. The only time they are taken from the exam room is by a vet tech to be weighed. I agree with cookieface, if you can't trust your vet, find a new one. Even if it's just a "gut feeling" that something is amiss, you know your dog and you are probably right. Find a vet you feel has your dog's best interest at heart.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

My experience over the years has always been to remain in the room with my puppies/dogs during a wellness exam when shots or blood draws have been administered. That's the same for all five vets I've used in my 4+ decades of dog ownership. :nurse:


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

My daughter worked at a vet for 7 years. She said many clients actually got mad at her if their dog yelped when she administered a shot, other clients would cry, lol. 

Working in a groom shop I remember MANY clients who wanted to restrain their own dog for a nail trim. Problem was, though they THOUGHT they could restrain their dog properly, they really had NO idea what they were doing. They had no idea it was their #1 duty as restrainer to keep the dog from biting the groomer. They did not know how to restrain the dog in a way that prevented injury to both dog and groomer.

I went to college and took a class in Animal Handling and Restraint. There is way more to properly holding a dog than most think. 

We made it a policy at our groom shop and they also did at my vet that a TRAINED person was to restrain the dog, both for safety of the dog as well as the humans. 

I insist on being in the room at my vet, heck I've even watched my own dog have surgeries. But I do not insist on being the one to hold and restrain them.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

I'm lucky because my mom works at the vet I take Atticus to. I am extremely squeamish and cant handle seeing a needle from across the room without feeling light headed...and am even worse with blood. So they take Atticus with them or I step out of the room. Maybe that is a reason they ask? If the owner starts acting up the dog is for sure going to start acting up. 

I have no problems restraining Atticus (and in all seriousness he just stands there) but the thought of needles makes me ill so they know to take him from me, and it is usually my mom holding him while he gets his shots/blood drawn. Im just lucky I guess.


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

For me, this comes down to a question of how much I trust my vet. In my case, I trust her completely. We've been seeing her for twenty years. The vast majority of the time and for most things, she encourages me to stay in the room with her and my dog, and encourages questions and discussion. There have been times, though, that I've been upset, nervous, or stressed about a situation, and she's asked me to leave the room briefly because I'm communicating my feelings to my dog and making my dog more stressed out. In those cases, I've understood completely, and agreed with her request. In short, I prefer to stay with my dog whenever I can, but I would trust my vet to provide the best, most appropriate care for my dog even if I was absent.


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I had a dog that had to see the vets one or more times a month. He became very fearful because of these repeated visits. This was a velcro dog that always wanted to be with me, who followed me everywhere I went, so I wanted to be present when he was treated. I stood in his line of sight and felt that he took some comfort in my being there. I did not mind watching the vet take blood or give injections or express his anal glands. After 5 years, my vet suddenly re-arranged her clinic so that there was an exam room and a separate treatment room. She said that insurance kept the owners from being in the treatment room, and there were no exceptions. Well, I decided to look for another vet. Since my dog need his glands expressed every 4-5 weeks or they would become impacted, I started going to other vets for this purpose to see if I could find one I was more compatible with. I tried 3 or 4 places. At one of them, the vet refused to let me be present while he expressed Dasher's glands. Since he needed to have this procedure, I let them take him to another room. When we got home Dasher was running from place to place and licking his rear frantically. After phoning the vet, I found out he had sprayed cologne on Dasher's rear! That must have caused a burning sensation. I gave him a quick 1/2 bath and it got better. The one time I let him out of my presence, and this happened! I finally found another vet that would let me be present, and I have stayed with that vet for the last 8 years. During that time I was present for everything but surgeries. I have even helped on occasion since we knew how my dog would react to different procedures. Dasher has since passed, but I still want to be present with my current dogs. Recently a new vet tech tried to remove my dog Phoenix to take blood, and I said no, I wanted to be present. The usual vet tech came into the room and, of course, agreed. So I do believe that they do remove dogs from other dog owners for treatment but they allow me to be present because they know how important it is to me and that I won't interfere or make the situation worse. I do trust these people now, but I see no reason to start removing the dog from me for treatment. Some vets want to remove the dog because they think the dog will act better, others think the owners might not take well to watching the procedure, and some vets are so insecure in their own techniques that they don't want to be watched. A vet that was going to do an ultrasound of Dasher would not let me watch for that reason because she was new to the procedure. I really resented that her insecurity prohibited me from being there. Luckily I found another vet who did not have that problem. So, for me, I will always insist on being present unless it is a medical emergency where the dog needs treatment and I just can't be present. 

This is not a question of trusting my vet since I have worked with the vet and vet techs for s long. I do trust them. While in some cases, it might be good for the dog to remove it from the owner's presence for treatment, I think the vet should know and trust me after all this time, and let me be present for most treatments. I feel it is better for the dog if I am there, and I just want to know what treatment my dog gets.

When we had to take Dasher to the vets last year to put him to sleep, the vet on duty was not the one I usually see but she knew how much Dasher meant to me. She did not want me to be there while she put an IV in him because she thought I would cry and make her cry and it would be too difficult for her to do her job. I allowed him out of my presence for a while but it was taking too long. So I knocked on the dog and said she could not keep me away from him at this time. So I held him and I was with him till the end and I helped him as well as the vet who was being even more emotional than I. Sometimes vets don't know what is best with the dogs, and the owners have to insist when they feel strongly about it.


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

I've had varied experiences with vets removing my pet or working with them in my presence. I don't know what the "norm" is, but my current vet does not take my pets away with me and I love that!! In fact, my first vet for Lumi took her away to do shots and check her over on her first visit. It was my first time with a puppy and my first time there and I really thought nothing of it. When we returned a few weeks later for a booster, the vet looked examined her in front of me and exclaimed how much "better" she'd gotten about being handled. And then repeated it, almost amazed "Wow, she's SO much better than last time!" And mentioned it another time or two before we were through. Apparently she was a wild thing last time, and I didn't even know about it! I was immediately put off that they didn't tell me and I found a new vet. I guess they didn't *have* to tell me, but it seems important to me, from a training stand-point, to know if your 9 week old puppy has a fit during an exam. I would've worked specifically on the issue. Not to mention, I did wonder if my being with her might've prevented her from getting so worked up. Anyway, our current vet has never suggested taking either dog away, and she doesn't even shave them for blood draws. Although, she very much appreciates Lumi's naked legs now that she's in a continental. : P And, all this said, it definitely comes down to trust as well. I imagine someday they'll have to use some machine or tool that can't come into the exam room, and one of the pups will need to be taken away. I would trust my vet to do that. Although, I'd still ask if I can come along! Haha 

That's my personal, pet-owner experience. As a groomer, I prefer clients out of sight while I work with the doggies. They tend to try to focus on mom and if mom isn't around, they focus on me. It makes their behavior much more predictable, and the work is more efficient and safer for all involved. I'm a bit insecure about grooming pets in front of their owners not because I doubt my skills, but because I doubt the owner's understanding of my skills! If a dog whimpers and I just hold onto their foot and keep trimming the nails, will they think I hurt the dog? Will they think I don't care that she's unhappy? Will they understand that sometimes a matter-of-fact, get-r-done attitude *is* the most humane way to accomplish the task? And then it adds the layer of the dog getting worked up if the owner does. Don't even get me started on owners helping or holding their dogs!!! I'm sooo scared the owner's going to get bit, or me! Or the dog will get hurt because the owner will let them loose to bite the dremmel. Ugh. I prefer owners out of sight. Haha But, I'm a big, fat hypocrite, because you know I hold my dogs for shots and exams! Then again, I am a professional dog-holder, and my vet does know that. And the work a vet does is very different from a groomer. If I were a vet, I don't think I'd mind owner presence as much. I'd think that owners are already prepared for a dog to be unhappy, and won't be likely to think I've done something wrong. And since the job is much quicker, I wouldn't really have enough time for the dog to settle in and focus on me anyway, as it's just a few minutes of work. 

Those are all my rambling thoughts! : P In the end, I very much support the other posts saying follow your gut. When it comes to a groomer, vet, pet-sitter, or contractor, if you don't feel right about it then listen to your gut!! : )


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## sweetheartsrodeo (Sep 19, 2012)

I have had my vet take one of my pups to another room for treatment. For example the day that I pulled Penelope out of my pool, she was not my dog then, and rushed her to the vet they took her to the back for a breathing treatment. However, they brought her back quickly. This second to last trip to the vet with Remington where he was given three injections, the last of the three was a doosey of a shot, and he cried, and jerked toward me, so I can see how at times it might be more difficult with the owner in the room...


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I work at an animal hospital, I see it go either way.

Sometimes the animals behave badly around their owners, sometimes the animals will squeal when they get their shots and can be hard for the owners to watch. I highly doubt anything malicious is going on.


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## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

Michelle said:


> I'm lucky because my mom works at the vet I take Atticus to. I am extremely squeamish and cant handle seeing a needle from across the room without feeling light headed...and am even worse with blood. So they take Atticus with them or I step out of the room. Maybe that is a reason they ask? If the owner starts acting up the dog is for sure going to start acting up.
> 
> I have no problems restraining Atticus (and in all seriousness he just stands there) but the thought of needles makes me ill so they know to take him from me, and it is usually my mom holding him while he gets his shots/blood drawn. Im just lucky I guess.


Me too, Michelle, me too!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I believe a lot of it depends on the behavior of the animal and if the owner is anxious it can make treating the animal difficult. I personally let the vet know I am a retired vet tech and can restrain my own animal properly.....but many owners ARE squimish about needles and blood, so being asked is a courtesy not something to be suspicious of in most cases.

A not so funny story I can tell is once when I was working, a man came in with a tiny chihuahua for vaccination, and at this clinic we did shots with the owners in the room. Well, as I was preparing the vaccine the man's wife came into the room and the dog started SCREAMING! I HAD NOT TOUCHED THE DOG YET!!! I was still getting the vacs ready......well the woman started screaming too, "STOP IT! YOUR KILLING MY DOG!! SHE"S KILLING MY DOG!!!" Her husband keep trying to tell her I hadn't touched the dog yet, but she kept on screaming and at that point the whole clinic, doctors and other staff, came running in....needless to say this woman was hysterical and her husband rushed her out apoligizing to everyone in the waiting room, the doctors and the staff !!! It really shook me up that's for sure! The doctors had a good time teasing me about it every time I was directed to a room for shots with comments like "Don't kill the Dog OK?" LOL!


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## Tryin (Oct 27, 2013)

I love getting other's perspective on things. 

this was my first time to this vet, she was referred to me by a coworker who I have much respect for and trust in her decisions. I did NOT like the way this particular office worked though. It really isn't an issue of trust, I just thought maybe I was missing something. there was a tech that restrained my dog. I am really good about needles, etc and my pup barely blinked during the whole thing. I know that there are policies, procedures, tricks that are involved sometimes that the lay person may not know about, so I wanted to increase my knowledge and not just think something "shady" was going on.

However, I no longer trust this vet because she missed my dog's ear infection. I didn't know about it at the time of the visit though. She looked in pup's ears and said there were fine. A week later, she was diagnosed by another vet with the infection. there was a yelp review that stated the exact thing happened to her pet, so although I would like to be able to say that it was an isolated incident, I know that it has happened to at least one other dog.

In contrast, there is another vet's office I take my pets to. they actually showed my daughter the best way to hold/restrain the dog.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Tryin said:


> this was my first time to this vet


For me too, it all boils down to the trust issue. My vet is good... a little fussy actually. I've met most of the vet techs and they love animals. Tonka happily parades into the back room at least once a year to draw blood to measure his level of phenobarbitol. And I stay in the waiting room knowing he's in good hands.


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

MollyMuiMa said:


> I believe a lot of it depends on the behavior of the animal and if the owner is anxious it can make treating the animal difficult. I personally let the vet know I am a retired vet tech and can restrain my own animal properly.....but many owners ARE squimish about needles and blood, *so being asked is a courtesy not something to be suspicious of in most cases.*


Yeah I agree it is a courtesy if I get the choice - be present or not..... but if I am not given a choice then I don't see it as a courtesy.... and I don't like it!




Tryin said:


> *However, I no longer trust this vet because she missed my dog's ear infection. I didn't know about it at the time of the visit though. She looked in pup's ears and said there were fine. A week later, she was diagnosed by another vet with the infection.* there was a yelp review that stated the exact thing happened to her pet, so although I would like to be able to say that it was an isolated incident, I know that it has happened to at least one other dog.


I am not trying to defend that vet here....... but how bad was the infection when the second vet diagnosed it? 

It can develop pretty fast, and might not have been obvious or visible the first time around... especially as you haven't noticed any signs either. 

I know with my previous dog, I noticed the signs (head shaking, ear scratching) before the infection even developed.... I have been known to take him to the vet to have his ears checked because I thought he was getting an infection and when the vet checked his ears she could see nothing. It all looked clear.


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## Tryin (Oct 27, 2013)

Wild Kitten said:


> Yeah I agree it is a courtesy if I get the choice - be present or not..... but if I am not given a choice then I don't see it as a courtesy.... and I don't like it!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It was pretty bad. they swabbed it in front of me. she was given a ten day course of meds and they plucked her ear hair (I know that I should have done this, but didn't know how/was uncertain and thought I could wait it out to the first grooming appt). I did ask the second vet how long it could have taken to develop. yes, there is a chance that nothing was seen by the first vet, it's just weird that the same exact thing happened to a yelp reviewer.

I have never had a dog have an ear infection before, so I'm not sure how these things progress.


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

The thing about reviews is...... not many people bother to post a good review, usually when you are happy with a service, you just accept it as normal and go about your business......... but if something "bad" happens, most people get upset, they tell everyone they meet and they try to spread the word.... post on internet, forums etc.... it's normal human nature.

I went to a customer service training a while ago, and the first question the speaker asked........ if you got 1 dissatisfied customer, how many people will hear about it? 
The answer...... minimum 200..... if one person only tells at least 10 other people.... and they all tell to a few... it spreads like wildfire! 
But if you got a satisfied customer how many will hear about it..... maybe 5...


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