Bad day at the vet for Max

It is the pits when our babies are scared and uncooperative.  I feel for you. 
If you can, everyother week take him to your regular vet and just take him in the lobby, a quick 'Hi' and then leave.  Do it as often as you can, so he goes there frequently and has nothing 'bad' happen.  While there, have him sniffle everything and the staff, and give tons of praise and a treat.  He can learn to associate positive things at the vet's office. Let the staff know why you are in there, just for Max to learn his way around and that the vet's office is a friendly place.  They usually understand and appreciate these things. Bonus if you can get the vet out for a quick hi, sniffle, and pet in his/her busy day. Arrange for him to discover a new toy if he is into that while there.  Make it a blast for him and you might be able to change his perception of those 'bad people'.  Good Luck Jules

poor guy, big hugs and kisses to Max. He probably remembered that smell and said NO WAY JOSE! I wouldnt wanna go back either if they took my specials too! Rory has a appt on Monday and now that I think of it she hasnt been since she was fixed! Oh lord, I'm gonna cross my fingers.

Hhmmm...maybe...except he didn't have a problem until they started trying to do stuff to him. This time he was actually ok with the exam room, but he freaked at the other vet just going back there. He took treats from them and all, he tried to figure out how to jump up on the exam table (he decided it was too far of a leap from the bench to the table though). The vet was a man, and he wasn't scared of him. He got scared once they tried to actually examine him, so I guess they thought he would be better without me, but that didn't work, and of course it didn't help me to hear him completely freaking out. I think they have some hours where it's walk in, and they don't charge an exam fee. Maybe I can just take him in, take him in a room, have someone come in and look at something and give him a treat. And, this is gonna be totally gross if I have to do it, but maybe it would help if I got a thermometer and used it at home with him, because that's one of the things he didn't like. But for now I really don't have much of a choice about getting him sedated for the vaccines, because the law says he has to get rabies, and he needs a few others in order to go to daycare again. At least after that he'll be good for 3 years. 

It makes me wonder what they did to him to make him react this way? Especially since he didn't react this way before. Hmmmmmmmm
 
Poor boy. I feel for the two of you. No fun at all.

Oh, Jen I feel so bad for you and the Maxster, that breaks my heart when they are that scared. That happened to Brando he never minded the vet until they had to take blood and she missed and had to stick him a couple of times, he is better now because I've taken him a few times and nothing happened to him, except an exam but who knows after they hurt him again.

Jen - do you take treats with you?  I think I've mentioned it a few times, but Sassy was a handful before and last year had to be muzzled to be examined.  Since then, I changed vets, but I also bring a baggie of treats in little pieces and start in the car and continue in the waiting room and on into the exam room, just asking her to "sit" and treating or whatever, just to keep her focus on me and the treats.  It's worked really well and she actually tries to bolt out of the car to go into the vet now.  It seems like the vaccinations happen so fast that it'd be a shame to sedate him for it.   The first visit we made to this new vet clinic, they had to draw for HW and man, that vet tech was amazing!!  She had that needle in the neck and was drawing the blood before I could even blink and I don't think Sassy knew what happened and it was over.

Please don't let them give all the shots on the same day.  MUZZLE him if you must, but please separate the vaccines.

Willow was the same way, fine at the vet, didn't even need a muzzle until after she was spayed.

Yes, I did bring treats with today. I brought the good stuff with too, the liver treats from dog.com.
Glenda, he was muzzled, and they said they still couldn't do it. I know it's no lie, I could hear him, and i've seen his performance at the other vet. My original plan was not to give all the shots on one day, but rather to return for the others a few weeks later. They were shockingly nice about it, and I got absolutely no hassle about it.  However, since he has to be sedated, that changes things. I understand I take a risk in giving him multiple vaccines in one day, but I also take a risk in sedating him. Weighing the options, I think I would rather avoid sedating him an extra time. I can't stagger them now, but i'm trying to figure out how I can stagger them for the future. I think they give the three year rabies (I honestly forget now) but i'm not sure if the others are as three or one year, or maybe they have both. If they have both, or only the one year of the others, i'm thinking maybe I could have them do the three year rabies, and one year on the rest, then give the three year next year. That would effectively avoid giving him all the vaccines together again.
My other option, if I can find a place that doesn't sell the vaccines only in huge quantities, would be to buy the vaccines and have my sister give it to him. I'm too needlephobic to do it myself. Plus, as of yesterday, she's a nurse (for humans, but that still makes her more qualified than me). So far all I can find in single doses are 7 in 1s though. The place he went to daycare at requires distemper, parvo, and bordatella (plus the rabies, but I can't buy that) so that is ideally all I want. If anyone knows a place where I can buy single doses of just those, I would really appreciate it.

Foster and Smith sells singles...but they don't sell JUST parvo/distemper, only the combo shots.  Revival Pets (animal??) DOES sell parvo/distemper and I *think* just one at a time.

Poor Max, how stressful!  Im sorry your boy had something happen to him to cause this! 

I really sympathize, Jen. Pofi was unphased by being neutered and was still reasonably well behaved at the vet until he got bit at dog park by a Heeler between his back leg an abdomen.  I did not realize immediately how deep the wound was and by the time we took him to the vet, it was probably late for sutures.  I had washed and used betadine as well as he would let me, but it really called for antibiotics. And they were trying to look at it and shave around it was sore and he went nuts. 
 
The next time I had to bring him in for vaccines he was a complete lunatic.  Keep in mind that's 70 lbs. of lanky, muscular lunatic.  They had to take him in the back and muzzle him and he still managed to scratch one of the techs and leave a welt I could see above the neckline of her scrubs. And the sounds he made.  Shrieking.  Blood curdling shrieking.  High pitched, unreal, banshee like wailing. 
 
It was during this visit that one of the vets decided Pofi was a GSD mix for certain - she said (and these are her words, not mine, GSD people!) that Shepherds have a fearful nature and mine had one of the worst she's seen in that way so there is no doubt in her mind he has GSD in him. She also went on to say this aspect of their nature is what makes them excellent protectors.  And while I'm not defending her opinion on this, she's really not a quack - she's an excellent vet I've trusted for nearly 18 years and everyone I send to her or this clinic stays.  But she occasionally speaks her mind, shall I say, unguardedly?  I was so embarassed by his craziness, but they were all pretty nice about it.
 
So we've been desensitizing Pofi to the clinic as well. He has come when Mia has been there for a few recent appointments, gets treats from everyone and pets and praise.  Gets on the scale to see what that's about.  And then we all go to a nearby and very busy dog park afterwards to tie in more positive associations.   And they also have encouraged me to just drop in without an appointment for a few more positive experiences before we do his HW blood draw. It could all go back to square one then, though.
 
 

Jen - is it possible to give her some type of oral sedation (doggie valium) before you bring her in and just see if that's enough to help.  If not, I completely understand how you feel.  Although Sassy's been a star patient most of the time, when I had to take her in for the biopsies on her tummy, they said "they usually do fine, but sometimes we need to mildly sedate them".  I put my money on needing the sedation.  Sassy's biggest problem is being restrained and I knew they'd need her to hold still, laying down, with her legs spread.  I told them I'd prefer they use it if necessary rather than make it more unpleasant and sure enough, they needed to.  She was a little groggy but walked out 15 min's afterwards and was fine.

Em is the same way. I switched vets, and she's fine. Haha. It's only with certain vets, who have *hurt* her, that she flips out. One vet cut her toenail to the foot, when she ripped it. The other that she flips with is the accupuncture vet, who did a painful exam on her when she was injured. Neither of them can handle her without a muzzle. Her favorite vet in the world is Dr Morris. She'll sit on his lap and kiss him. He can do anything to her, with only my assistance. Another vet, Beth (I don't know her last name... that's not good, is it?), can also do a full exam, as long as she's careful with her. Emma remembers the ones who really hurt her, and she doesn't tolerate them at all... I haven't figured out a way to fix it. They hold out treats, and she bites their hands. Even with really good treats, she doesn't care....

I hope you can get Max's vaccines figured out, without sedating him.