Do all vets think cavs are attention seekers??

I took Star to the vets yesterday because she was still yelping quite frequently over 24 hrs after being spayed.. now it may have been an over reaction on my part but never having been in this situation before and given that she's had her painkillers and still seemed to be in considerable pain I thought it best to get checked over just in case.

Anyway, took her in and he checked her belly wasn't swollen and she didn't yelp in pain while he was pressing her belly to check. He asked me what I did when he yelped and obviously I made sure she was ok and stuff and was told that she was 'having me on' and that 'they're very clever when they want attention' (not sure if he meant dogs or cavs) Not sure I should take offence at that or not really but I can't help it if I'm worried about her and it's not as if she was slightly whimpering.

Just had to get that off my chest really. She's fine today and that's the main thing.

I think you did the right thing taking her to the vets if you are worried, I'm sure he charged you yesterday. Pity he wasn't more sympathetic to a worried mum. I'd have done the same as you

Good to hear that Star is feeling better today. You are right, that's the most important thing. I don't think you should take offense. I have four cavaliers and three are pretty stoic when it comes the to vet. The fourth is quite the drama queen. He is very vocal almost all the time anyway, when he is nervous, excited, wanting attention, happy, waiting for dinner, etc...My vet just expects a bit more drama from him now.

You did absolutely the right thing to take in her to have her checked. If it had been something bad, you would have caught it right away. Give her a hug for me. We do worry about our little sweeties but since they can't tell us what is wrong, we have to do what we feel is best. When they are yelping, we need to know why. I know the day after I had surgery, I did a bit of "yelping" too.

J.

i agree with everyone else, you did the right thing if you were worried. on the drama queen bit my MIL used to have a terrier cross something that if you tied a piece of tissue round his paw he would hold it up and limp around. bless his heart

Glad to hear Star is okay

One of my mum's golden retrievers always lifted his paw and looked all sad if he was unwell - he knew this got him extra cuddles and nice treats - he used to carry this on even when he'd be given the all clear and was absolutely fine!

India was in considerable pain after she was spayed, and even though she had pain pills, she still seemed miserable for a few days. I gave her special attention, and would have taken her to the vet if anything worried me.

I think some dogs have different pain thresholds just like people do. So you are seeing her response to pain, not a drama queen act. India was in pain after her knee surgery as well, and as the time approached for her next pain pill, she used to lay in her bed, wailing and holding up her sore leg. I could never ignore that, so I gave her extra love and attention to help her through it.

When we got Chocolate and had to have her spayed, I opted for the endoscopy-type spay. It was much easier, but much more expensive.

Like others have said, I think you did the right thing, too.

One of my vets said that Cavaliers in particular tend to be very stoic, so he apparently has the opposite opinion of many of the vets quoted on this board. I was glad to hear that from him.

Daisy ate about a 1/4 pound of chocolate M&Ms yesterday and I freaked out, tried to make her vomit, didn't work, and she ended up at the vet's the whole day and was given charcoal to neutralize the toxins from the chocolate and all the hydrogen peroxide she had in an attempt to make her throw up. Not a good day. But she's right as rain today, so that's good!

Again, it was my 10 year old son who left a big bag of M&Ms on his bed that I had brought him home from Las Vegas. He was the same guy who took an unopened package of Orbit gum upstairs that Daisy proceeded to eat half of! That was a call to the Animal Poison Control Center and a night of worry, too. Believe me, we've had a LONG talk about no food of any kind going upstairs anymore.

on the drama queen bit my MIL used to have a terrier cross something that if you tied a piece of tissue round his paw he would hold it up and limp around. bless his heart :biggrin:

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Oh that is too funny!!

On a serious note....if you feel there is something wrong with you dog, by all means take him/her to the vet. I told my vet (when Jake was a puppy) that I felt like a neurotic new mom. She said she'd much rather have me come in on a false alarm than to let something go because I was unsure.

Jake is a drama king....big time!! But I surely know the difference between him drama and serious discomfort. Shelby is incredibly stoic, so much so that if she squeals she really means it.

You absolutely did the right thing.

But I surely know the difference between him drama and serious discomfort.

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Yes this is key. Also some dogs do learn to make a fuss -- because if owners tend to really fuss and comfort dogs they quickly learn that a bit of drama causes the obedient owner to lavish attention. However in my experience most vets say cavaliers are drama queens because they yelp when given injections into the neck in particular... of course there's every likelihood that cavaliers are more prone to doing this because they actually experience far greater pain in the neck area if they have the Chiari-like skull malformation (which around 90% seem to have) and syrinxes (probably at least 30% going on current research which we all hope will be wrong!). So getting a needle right into such a sensitive area is actually pretty likely to cause yelps -- of real pain.

It really annoys me when vets say this because I see the kind of pain Leo lives with on and off because of syringomyelia, and how sensitive he can be in his armpit area, ears or sides. Yet he usually will not even cry out; he just quietly flinches. One of my vets told me he has a very high pain tolerance and self control after seeing him tolerate a lot of pinching and handling, which must have really hurt him, when he had a ruptured anal gland. That was a situation inw which the vet was quite sure he was in pain as she handled him, yet he never snapped or cried out. If anything, I think a lot of these dogs are just the opposite of drama queens -- and bravely endure a lot before they show it outwardly. I know many of the SM researchers and neurologists feel this is the case.