Why I Started This Blog

​As I was driving home from leaving Izzy at the vet for her annual appointment, I realized this was the first time ever I was truly ok with her annual exam. You may be wondering why I left her at the vet for an annual exam and why I was ok with it. I’ll answer both of these questions.

​I left Izzy at the vet as it is best for her if she is under anesthesia for her exams. You see, she doesn’t like people touching her except when she requests it. A vet poking and prodding, giving her shots, and drawing blood is NOT ok by her and she’ll demonstrate this by biting them. She has very little if any warning that she’s going to bite and she is oh so quick. Yes, she can be muzzled and restrained so the vet is safe, however that means Izzy is under extreme stress. And worst of all, I’m harming my relationship with her and breaking her trust. So, this time she was muzzled, I held her as she received a sedative (yes a poke is involved but it’s minimal), I stayed with her as she fell asleep, she’ll wake up in a crate I left at the vet’s office, and I’ll be picking her up earlier than the normal pick up time for “surgeries.” Knowing her stress would be minimized for this visit is why I was ok with leaving her at the vet this time.

But there was something more as to why I was ok with this particular appointment. At first I couldn’t quite articulate what the something was. This particular vet had not taken care of Izzy before so that might have been it. The possibilities with a new doctor? Maybe. This particular vet has a bit more experience not just treating, but interacting on a more frequent basis with dogs that are reactive and have an increased potential to bite. That was part of the something. There was something else though. I began to think about how Izzy and I got to this point and then it struck me, there was communication and a clear plan in place for how the vet and I hoped things would go. I know this may sound silly, but when I made this appointment for Izzy six weeks earlier, the vet called me within two days to discuss her thoughts and my concerns. Then a week before Izzy’s appointment, I called and asked to speak to her so we could make sure we were both comfortable with the plan. She also spoke with the other vet that has treated Izzy and the technicians in the practice. 

It’s not that there wasn’t communication and a plan in place for previous visits. There was and the vets and I planned as best we could at the time to minimize Izzy’s stress. This time though I clearly articulated my concerns, how my relationship is harmed with Izzy when things don’t go well (one time it took a week for her not to try and bite me when I inadvertently petted her without thinking), and I advocated to balance her emotional needs with her medical needs and the importance of balancing best practice medical care with best practice medical care for Izzy. 

The composition of that something which was different this time was enhanced communication, more planning, and me advocating for Izzy by expressing my concerns and expectations. Wow, why is it that all this has to occur just for an annual vet visit for a cute little eleven-pound schnoodle mix dog? Izzy is a very cool boogie boarding dog who loves walks and car rides and we love her tons, but she is a “reactive” dog and a biting risk to people including us. Having a “reactive” dog or a dog with complex needs whether they be mental or physical health needs some days just stinks! As we’ve had dogs with both mental and physical complex needs, I thought maybe a blog is a way I can share our experiences and maybe they will help someone else. 

So, the idea for this blog blossomed on a car ride home from dropping Izzy off at the vet on October 15, 2021. And kudos to my coworker Amber for suggesting I include medical issues in this blog as well which changed the name from Reactive Dog Blog (working title) to Complex Dog Blog. I hope someone, somewhere finds our stories helpful!

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