Aggression towards the Doggy Doctor

Sounds more like a fear reaction than agression.  I think we often mislabel something else as agression, kind of a one size fits all label.

You may want to look for a vet who is more experienced with fear reactive animals, because muzzled, regardless of her behavior, the vet should have been able to examine her fully.  It may also be that she needs to be sedated for vet visits.

 Short term, I agree, she will need to be muzzled, may need a mild relaxant.

 Long term, you work on this lots and lot at home, reqrding with treats / toys whatever motivates her, then carry that over to vet visits.

That's a good point, fear makes sense. We are planning on taking her to another vet soon, because the vet we just took her to won't sedate animals for routine visits. A bit absurd, if you ask me, since all they did was give me shampoo for her and hope it helped.

Freedom

 Short term, I agree, she will need to be muzzled, may need a mild relaxant.

 Long term, you work on this lots and lot at home, reqrding with treats / toys whatever motivates her, then carry that over to vet visits.

 

 The muzzle we had on her at the first vet appointment...she could easily take it off. She kept terying to paw it off her head, and she almost got it off several times. Do you have any suggestions for another style of muzzle? We had her in a muzzle much like this, which clipped behind her ears: https://leerburg.com/Photos/clothstandard.jpg

A basket muzzle might do the trick.

One thing you can do is stop into the vets office on a regular basis.  And I mean REALLY regular, but for absolutely no reason other than exposure.  Say hi to the gals at the desk, chat for a few minutes and feed her absolutely scrumptious treats the whole time, and with a basket muzzle, you can do that.

glenmar

A basket muzzle might do the trick.

One thing you can do is stop into the vets office on a regular basis.  And I mean REALLY regular, but for absolutely no reason other than exposure.  Say hi to the gals at the desk, chat for a few minutes and feed her absolutely scrumptious treats the whole time, and with a basket muzzle, you can do that.

I'll have to try that. I go out into the area where her vet is often enough, so bringing her wouldn't be a burden.

 Most aggression is fear based.  She may be allowing you to handle her now, but if she's showing signs that she doesn't like it and is fearful, it could get worse at home and will probably get worse in a veterinary setting.  The muzzle is a stop gap method to allow the vet to handle her until you consult with a behaviorist for help.  You should use some positive reinforcement to teach her to accept the muzzle and have her wear it around the house so she doesn't associate the muzzle with the vet's office.  Sometimes medication is necessary in a behavior modification program but personally I'd want a veterinary behaviorist to guide me through it.

On the left side of this page you can find a vet behaviorist.  http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/

Here's another site you might find useful but keep in mind that counterconditioning and desensitization isn't as easy as it might sound.  Advice from a professional is priceless.  Good luck.

http://abrionline.org/

glenmar

One thing you can do is stop into the vets office on a regular basis.  And I mean REALLY regular, but for absolutely no reason other than exposure.  Say hi to the gals at the desk, chat for a few minutes and feed her absolutely scrumptious treats the whole time, and with a basket muzzle, you can do that

For dogs with mild anxiety at the vet's office, this is a good idea.  For dogs that are extremely fearful to the point of aggression, this is not a good idea.  Counterconditioning and desensitization has to be done below the threshold of fear or the problem may become worse rather than better.  I'm not trying to sound like I know all there is to know about this kind of problem.  I do know from what I've read and a recent Sophia Yin seminar I attended, that it's best to consult a professional if the problem is serious and this sounds like it could be serious from what the OP has posted.

Jackie, I couldn't agree with you more that professional help is PRICELESS!  And, I was remiss in not mentioning it.  I was actually just coming back to clarify the absolute slowness of desensitization and the importance of stopping short of the dogs fear threshhold, but you did FAR better in explaining than I could have.  Thanks!

 Just wanted to drop in first of all and say, I've been there and done that, so I feel your pain. 

If it is absolutely necessary to get her examined right now, and it sounds like it is, you may need to talk to a different vet about sedating her for an exam. I had to do it for one I used to have to get a rabies shot. My regular vet wouldn't do it,  so I had to take him somewhere else.

I agree with Glenda about getting a really nice fitting basket muzzle.  I've had to use a basket muzzle a few times (for a medical situation where the dog kept chewing on an infection, and we use them for muzzle work in protection training) and I've never had a dog struggle with a good basket muzzle.  They didn't need any introduction or desensitization, I just put it on and all was well.  The difference is that with a basket they can breathe, pant, drink, even make a little noise.  Those mesh muzzles freak the heck out of Nikon and I don't blame him, it's like me having my hands tied behind my back and my mouth ducktaped.  The dog's mouth should not need to be forced completely shut to prevent bites.  Then the dog freaks out and struggles against the mesh muzzle and everyone's anxiety escalates.  I think with a basket muzzle the dog will be safe yet won't have that panic of having the mouth wrapped shut like they do with the cheap mesh muzzle.

Liesje

I've never had a dog struggle with a good basket muzzle.  They didn't need any introduction or desensitization, I just put it on and all was well. 

It might work for some dogs but Belle and Gabby both needed a short course of positive reinforcement with the basket muzzles.  Different strokes for different dogs.  :)   Rex didn't mind it from the start and Twister has one from when he ran JRT events years ago and he hated it at first because I didn't take the time to introduce it properly. 

True, but I mean compared to the mesh muzzle a vet normally uses, the discomfort of initially wearing the basket can be overcome with some training.  I honestly don't think five years of positive reinforcement would convince Nikon to accept that mesh muzzle!

Liesje

True, but I mean compared to the mesh muzzle a vet normally uses

Yep, totally agree.  :)