Hi All!
Its been a while since I've been here. Was wondering if someone can offer me some advice...
Meenah was hit by a car the week before Christmas. No broken bones but the skin in the front of one of her front paws was badly damaged. The first couple weeks after the accident, I took her to the vet's every other day to have the bandages changed. Now I take her every 3 to 4 days as she is healing. She is in fact healing nicely and won't need any surgery or skin grafts as they expect the skin to grow back on it own. At home, she is in great spirits and is her old self. Except for the fact that I can't take her for walks or let her run around in the yard, she is alert and happy.
The problem we're having is that although our vet visits are less frequent than they used to be and the bandage changes are easier and less painful, she is seeming more and more fearful when we're there. When we get to the vet's, she insists on sitting on my lap in the waiting room whereas she used to want to wander around the room and sniff everything. She also shakes a little. And last time I took her in (two days ago), she was on the floor when the nurse came to get her. When the nurse bent down and picked her up, she urinated right there on the floor. She hasn't done this submissive urination since she was a young puppy months ago. So she must have been very very frightened.
I certainly understand why she is so fearful now, after what she's been through with all the more painful and more frequent bandage changes. But what can I do to help her and make it better for her? I don't want to sedate her. I feel so bad.
Its been a while since I've been here. Was wondering if someone can offer me some advice...
Meenah was hit by a car the week before Christmas. No broken bones but the skin in the front of one of her front paws was badly damaged. The first couple weeks after the accident, I took her to the vet's every other day to have the bandages changed. Now I take her every 3 to 4 days as she is healing. She is in fact healing nicely and won't need any surgery or skin grafts as they expect the skin to grow back on it own. At home, she is in great spirits and is her old self. Except for the fact that I can't take her for walks or let her run around in the yard, she is alert and happy.
The problem we're having is that although our vet visits are less frequent than they used to be and the bandage changes are easier and less painful, she is seeming more and more fearful when we're there. When we get to the vet's, she insists on sitting on my lap in the waiting room whereas she used to want to wander around the room and sniff everything. She also shakes a little. And last time I took her in (two days ago), she was on the floor when the nurse came to get her. When the nurse bent down and picked her up, she urinated right there on the floor. She hasn't done this submissive urination since she was a young puppy months ago. So she must have been very very frightened.
I certainly understand why she is so fearful now, after what she's been through with all the more painful and more frequent bandage changes. But what can I do to help her and make it better for her? I don't want to sedate her. I feel so bad.