Dogs and Diazepam
Discussion
Morning all.
Freedom my English Bull Terrier is off to the vets next week to have her nails clipped. You may think thats quite normal and no problems. But the problem is she hates the vets (most dogs do) but she hates even more her nails being clipped. One look at the clippers and she runs a mile. I hate to say it but last time we had her nails cut it took 4 of us to hold her down at the vets with her getting so stressed and angry. The vet has suggest this time we give her diazepam to try and calm her down before we take her. Has anyone else had to do this with their dog and what effect did it have on the said pooch? If I give her this I have to sign a form because diazepam isnt licensed to give to animals, only humans.
Before you all say it, yes she is walked regularly but only on fields and this doesn't wear her nails down. She is nearly 10 years old and has a slight heart murmer which we found out last year.
Freedom my English Bull Terrier is off to the vets next week to have her nails clipped. You may think thats quite normal and no problems. But the problem is she hates the vets (most dogs do) but she hates even more her nails being clipped. One look at the clippers and she runs a mile. I hate to say it but last time we had her nails cut it took 4 of us to hold her down at the vets with her getting so stressed and angry. The vet has suggest this time we give her diazepam to try and calm her down before we take her. Has anyone else had to do this with their dog and what effect did it have on the said pooch? If I give her this I have to sign a form because diazepam isnt licensed to give to animals, only humans.
Before you all say it, yes she is walked regularly but only on fields and this doesn't wear her nails down. She is nearly 10 years old and has a slight heart murmer which we found out last year.
Nope have tried this too. She goes mental. She changes from the loving pooch who loves everyone to a growling snarling loony. I know this doesnt spread a good light on her but she just hates her nails being cut. I can touch her feet no problem normally, but bring out the nail clippers she runs a mile. Then trying to hold her down is not an easy job. Maybe I could give her diazepam at home then cut them? Just not sure what the effects of the drug will have on her. At least if she is at the vets and she has some sort of reaction to it she will be in the right place.
I've tried diazepam on my boy and it made bugger all difference other than making him more scared as he feels funny 
Don't let them get you to use ACP (Acepromazine) as this paralyses the dog but his brain is still wide awake They can also sometimes break through and it's not pleasant.
My boy needs to be completely knocked out for anyone other than me to be able to touch him, so he gets Domitor (I think) jabbed in his bum while I hold his front end. He is also muzzled. He needs double the normal dose to make him go down and completely out.
I would desensitize your dog to the clippers by pairing them with a yummy treat. To do this, I would pick them up and put them straight down then give the dog something very yummy - roast chicken perhaps in very small pieces so he doesn't need to chew. Perhaps 10 reps a couple of times a day. He will soon get the connection between clippers and yummy treat
When that has sunk in, I'd move onto getting him to target them with his nose to earn his treat. Start off by rewarding just looking at them, then a tiny step towards them (any approximation towards your desired end result) - build it up in tiny steps until he pokes them with his nose. From there you can move forward in tiny steps towards your ultimate goal. Tiny steps are the key and ensuring they are solid before moving forward. Actually, there is a Youtube video. I go find it.
I use a clicker as well to mark the steps along the way.
Sophia Yin's video on counter conditioning to nail trimming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWZUcLfHXLE&fea... There is another one somewhere about a dog called Tucker.
Don't let them get you to use ACP (Acepromazine) as this paralyses the dog but his brain is still wide awake
They can also sometimes break through and it's not pleasant.My boy needs to be completely knocked out for anyone other than me to be able to touch him, so he gets Domitor (I think) jabbed in his bum while I hold his front end. He is also muzzled. He needs double the normal dose to make him go down and completely out.
I would desensitize your dog to the clippers by pairing them with a yummy treat. To do this, I would pick them up and put them straight down then give the dog something very yummy - roast chicken perhaps in very small pieces so he doesn't need to chew. Perhaps 10 reps a couple of times a day. He will soon get the connection between clippers and yummy treat
When that has sunk in, I'd move onto getting him to target them with his nose to earn his treat. Start off by rewarding just looking at them, then a tiny step towards them (any approximation towards your desired end result) - build it up in tiny steps until he pokes them with his nose. From there you can move forward in tiny steps towards your ultimate goal. Tiny steps are the key and ensuring they are solid before moving forward. Actually, there is a Youtube video. I go find it.I use a clicker as well to mark the steps along the way.
Sophia Yin's video on counter conditioning to nail trimming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWZUcLfHXLE&fea... There is another one somewhere about a dog called Tucker.
I can sympathise with you on this one, as Boris was EXACTLY the same.
He would go from being this cute cuddly puppy, to a snarling, mental hyperventilating nightmare!!!
We got some tablets from the vets which were supposed to help relax him, but instead they made him drowsy and confused. And very wobbly!
In the end, every single night, i would sit there, on the floor with him, with the nail clippers in my hand, just muckling about with them and making the noise the make with them... then i gradually started to pick his feet up and pretend to clip his nails... then heap LOADS of praise on him...
After about a month of doing this EVERY NIGHT, he let me cut his first nail.... and looked at me as if to say ''whats the big deal?'' Bloody dog.
I can appreciate your girlie is ten years old though and probably set in her ways, so this might not be as easy to achieve!
Good luck though, its horrible seeing our pooches distressed!
He would go from being this cute cuddly puppy, to a snarling, mental hyperventilating nightmare!!!
We got some tablets from the vets which were supposed to help relax him, but instead they made him drowsy and confused. And very wobbly!
In the end, every single night, i would sit there, on the floor with him, with the nail clippers in my hand, just muckling about with them and making the noise the make with them... then i gradually started to pick his feet up and pretend to clip his nails... then heap LOADS of praise on him...
After about a month of doing this EVERY NIGHT, he let me cut his first nail.... and looked at me as if to say ''whats the big deal?'' Bloody dog.
I can appreciate your girlie is ten years old though and probably set in her ways, so this might not be as easy to achieve!
Good luck though, its horrible seeing our pooches distressed!
I would cut her nails myself but as I said she runs a mile when she sees the clippers and you have to hold her down to get them cut. She gets so stressed and scared and turns into a snarling growling maniac that bares no resemblance to the loving family dog she is normally. Not sure why she is like this. All the other bullies I have owned will just sit there and give me their paws and let me cut them. I have always cut my own dogs nails but Freedom is a completely different kettle of fish.
The posts above re. association conditioning and desensitisation are bang on the money imo - its what I would try.
My old dog Jacko used to have diazepam every 5th of November. He would have an epic freakout every time he heard fireworks. The diazepam worked a treat once we got the dose level sorted.
My old dog Jacko used to have diazepam every 5th of November. He would have an epic freakout every time he heard fireworks. The diazepam worked a treat once we got the dose level sorted.
i have a similar problem with my terrier deefur, as soon as you get him to the vets there is no chance there getting near him, was fine when he was younger but seems to have gooten grumpy in his old age (now 15), they were sedating him to give him a trim, nails, glands etc but last time he stopped breathing under sedation, this week hes been in for his usual trim up, glands etc but as were leaving it longer between visits hes been knawing his back end and under the hair was pretty scabby, this time the gave him a general anaesetic instead of sedation and ran some blood checks to check insides etc, poor sod is in a lampshade collar for a couple weeks now!
Well we are back from the vets all in one piece. The vet still has all her fingers! When I got to the vets Freedom was still full on and the diazepam had not had any effect her her at all. She jumped out of the car and thought we were off on an adventure with her tail high and full of excitement that was until we got in the waiting room. Waiting in the waiting room she was shaking and whining and not a happy girl but thats her all over at the vets. Vet calls us in and makes her usual fuss of her to try and reassure her.
The vet decided it was probably best if they took her out the back to cut her nails so she doesn't associate us with having her nails done. I heard lots of growling and snarling and Freedom generally being a psycho dog and the vet trying to tell her she is a good girl!! They took what they could off with out stressing her more than necessary.
On the way home she got this glazed look come over her and looked as though she had had one too many.
By the time I got home she was wobbling all over the place. She is now fast asleep in her crate sleeping it off. 
So at least we got the nails done, not sure about the diazepam again, but one bonus, the vet didnt charge anything. My vet is great!
The vet decided it was probably best if they took her out the back to cut her nails so she doesn't associate us with having her nails done. I heard lots of growling and snarling and Freedom generally being a psycho dog and the vet trying to tell her she is a good girl!! They took what they could off with out stressing her more than necessary.
On the way home she got this glazed look come over her and looked as though she had had one too many.
By the time I got home she was wobbling all over the place. She is now fast asleep in her crate sleeping it off. So at least we got the nails done, not sure about the diazepam again, but one bonus, the vet didnt charge anything. My vet is great!
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