We've done a lot of vet prep and here are posts if you missed them:
We arrive at the vet and Catty says "Let's do this"
"Oh fantastic, you brought the bucket"
I have our regular bucket and this tiny one. The tiny one is filled with steak and I'm setting it inside the big bucket for when we play the Bucket Game. I chose the small container as it's easier for me to deal with when getting the steak out for Catty.
"Let's get this show on the road!"
"HELLO I'm ready to play the game"
We play The Bucket Game as a warm up as we wait for the vet and then I put Catty on the floor.
Catty "Sits Pretty" when she really wants something... and she wants back up on that table to play the game. It's such a relief to see how relaxed and at ease she is at the vet office. A huge difference from our past vet visits. Vet prep is well worth the time and effort!
At this point I stopped with pictures giving my full attention to our exam. When we checked in I left Catty in the car (So that I could see who and what was in the vet waiting room) came in and I told the front desk that I only wanted the vet to see us - no initial vet tech exam. I did this because the fewer humans handling Catty the better. And I knew my vet would support this decision. So, when our vet came in we showed off our new skills and our vet was very impressed! Then we checked Catty's eyes, the vet listened to her heart and then we played the bucket game while the vet physically examined Catty.
Everything went well and Catty gave one warning growl (which we stopped what we were doing to let us all reset) when the vet was checking her back legs. We hadn't practiced this during vet prep so Catty wasn't "preped" for that physical pressure by a stranger on her back legs. But, the good news is that Catty gave a growl. In the past she would have given a quick turn and bite. Good girl Catty and we heard you and respected what you were telling us.
The next step was having Catty's tooth looked at which went great! I had Catty do the chin rest and then I lifted her lip and opened her mouth for the vet to look into. We did a lot of practice around this and that really paid off. Because of the prep work Catty and I did, the vet didn't have to even touch Catty while she looked at Catty's tooth.
Next was a blood draw and an ultrasound to find Catty's bladder and they took the urine through a syringe and needle. Catty was muzzled through all of this for everyone's safety. Catty LOVES her muzzle so this wasn't a big deal for her. And I'm thrilled to say that she was a rockstar with the blood and urine draw. Again all our practice really helped a ton and through all of this Catty did great.
So what came of our vet visit was that the area around the tooth needs further inspection that will require her to be put under anesthesia. She has a pocket in the roof of her mouth that is next to the split tooth. The vet needs to poke around and figure out what's going on with that pocket. So, we scheduled our next appointment for this procedure.
Here are some good articles talking more about vet visits and how you can help your dog
"That wasn't bad at all and what's next?!"
After our amazing visit it was time to take a nice long walk through Capitol Hill.
"Look at the spring flowers!"
"Gotta get a drink"
We roll by this neat building which is part of Cornish College of the Arts
"What is up there?"
She was so curious about this area - it's full of rocks and water.
"Nothing in there but rocks and water!"
"Look at me!"
Catty loves letting everyone know she's been in the area. The business of Capitol Hill doesn't bother her a bit.
"Stop taking those pictures!"
We stroll by the fancy Starbuck Reserve store
Figuring out where we are going next
We pass through a parklet on First Hill
"This is a fun place"
"Are we doing Nose Work here?"
"Lots to smell"
Time to move on
We start heading back and the new street car rolls by us.
Such a great and fun morning! Stay tuned as I'll be talking about Catty's next vet visit soon.
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