It Takes a village

When you think about an anxious dog, a golden retriever is most likely not the first breed that comes to mind. Just like people, dogs are individuals. Some dogs, just like some people, are naturally anxious. Sulley is a golden retriever and he is one of those dogs.
As a puppy, Sulley seemed pretty normal, but as he grew older, his anxiety became more and more evident. He was born in 2022 when we were still wearing masks, and people were just starting to venture out and do social things, so socialization was more difficult than usual. He started to show some anxiety with new people and out on walks. By the time he was a year old, he we very fearful on walks and any time he left the house. Veterinary visits were a challenge. Initially, he just tried to get away, but when that did not work, he resorted to aggression. At that time, the veterinarian he was seeing, doubled down on the fight and excessive restraint. The next time he was at the vet, he was a mess and he couldn’t be handled at all.
Sulley’s owners were very motivated. They reached out to a positive reinforcement trainer and worked with her. She suggested that her veterinarian fill medication for Sulley. Those things helped, but Sulley had a severe anxiety and their veterinarian was not very experienced with behavioral medications.
Finally, Sulley’s owners found us through Fear Free. His first visit with us was not great. He barked and growled at me. We offered him a variety of treats. His owners brought his favorite treats and we gave him peanut butter and cheese, but he would not even let me touch him. I sat and talked to his owners, and I think he came up and sniffed me, but as soon as I moved, he was ready for a fight.
We decided to meet again for a social visit. I had them give pre-visit medication, and I just sat down in the room, hung out, offered him treats and moved around. He was better, and I was able to do his rabies vaccine, but he was still very reactive and very defensive. It was a stressful visit, and we didn’t even try do more than that.
Sulley’s owners wanted to get him neutered. We needed to get him updated on his vaccines and heartworm test. We discussed muzzle training, I recommended a different trainer who had time to work with Sulley’s owners. We made a plan to bring him in and sedate him immediately for his neuter with the owners present. We planned to update all his vaccines while he was under for surgery.
The owners immediately started working with a trainer. They worked with the muzzle, having him wear it for play and treats and snuggles so that he would associate it with good things and not just bad things. We also changed up his meds a little, changing doses of some medications and switching out one medication for another.
When he came in for his neuter, we were able to give him the sedation with the owners holding and a bit of a struggle, but we were more successful than at previous visits.
The following year when he was coming up due for vaccines, we made a plan to just sedate him immediately instead of trying to show him that what we were doing was okay. He had made significant progress, but in order to get it all done, we had to choose between having several visits and risking another triggering episode or just sedating him and getting it over with. The owners and I both agreed that the later would be a better option.
When they arrived at the hospital, they walked him around behind the hospital and let him sniff around. I came out with the sedation and walked with him for a little while, patting his back and getting him used to me being around. Once he was okay with me poking and pulling a little on the skin on his back, I gave the injection to sedate him and he didn’t even react. We set him up with his family and some blankets in the comfort room and he went to sleep. Once he was out, I did my exam, got blood for the heartworm test, gave him his vaccines and gave him the reversal for the sedation. He was awake and CALM within 10 minutes. We were all absolutely thrilled. There was no fight, no drama, no stress.
Sometimes the resolution of anxiety doesn’t look like what you expect. Treating extreme anxiety requires an open mind, hours of dedication, patience and a village of people working to figure out what is going to work with a specific individual. Sulley’s quality of life is significantly better today than when I first met him two years ago. His owners were motivated and dedicated the time, money and patience to find the right people to work with. They were teachable and diligent about following instructions. They had open minds and listened to advice. They were willing to try different things to figure out what worked for Sulley. They continue to do that to this day. As time goes by, I know that Sulley will continue to learn and grow. He will also always have to deal with his anxiety, but his owners are satisfied to allow him to live within the limits of what he can handle, always just gradually nudging and stretching those limits.