Panda to be Sedated at the Vets
In the 22 months since I've had him, this will be the third time I've had to have this done. I did meet a wonderful groomer once, that developed a bond with Panda over months and she attempted to groom him one time at a grooming school. It was way too much for Panda and he became so stressed and frenzied, my friend had to stay way beyond the closing hours to finish the job. Nope too much for him. He's gotten really good with grooming but due to the heavy rains and mud our area has been having he unfortunately developed a mat under his ears and it's growing daily. I have no choice. The only positive thing as a result of the sedation is I always get everything checked at the same time. Last time they rotated his hips and took x-rays and turned out it was discovered he has mild dysplasia in both hips.  They also were able to flush his ears (one of his biggest triggers) and he finally had been able to beat that nasty ear infection he's had since he arrived at my home. They also checked his teeth, cut his nails and checked his anal glands.
We (myself, the vet assistant and the vet) once attempted to flush Panda's ears without anestetic and all three of us were unable to hold him down as he became a wild bronco. Sadly, it's the same if I even attempt to clean out his ears...but have to let you guys know I can now clean the outside edges of his ears. Slowly desensitizing him and allowing him to build trust at his own pace. It's not that Panda acts this way normally, but restraint of any kind (not to be confused with collars or leashes) drives him in a frezy which again I know is due to his background. Hopefully, this will be the last time I need to have this done as I find him endearing with his shaggy coat. It'll just have to wait until one day I can view him in a full coat, but due to background I am eternally patient with him. Again, on a postive note, I can now brush him, flip up his ears to check them, touch his entire body with my hands and only get a bum wiggle from him. It's been a slow progress with Panda, but I swear he has improved so much!! I think this year will even be better as I no longer get any reaction from him if I have scissors in my hand... For those of you that have been here a while, remember the time he got a peice of barbed wire on his butt and he allowed me to cut it off...while being absorbed in eating the goodies I put out for him!! That was a memorable day as I did get to use scissors that one day. I often have to remind myself how his head would lower and he'd hunker down as if expecting to be hit when he arrived. He'd do the same when I petted him on top of his head for the first six weeks. Still, from day one he sat quietly by my side and leaned his entire body towards me and we'd sit in the park while I spoke to him. I knew that he really wanted to trust humans again. He doesn't react at all to people expecially men with shovels, yard rakes or anything in their hands, he had completely got over being stressed when he hears motors starting up such as lawn mowers as he had never heard them growing up on the rooftop of an apt building in Hong Kong. So I have much to be thankful for, he's made huge strides! Appointment is this coming Tuesday. Marianne and the boys |
|
|
| Good luck with Panda boy!!
Love, Panda girl  |
Panda boy is trying to act brave as a result of mail from Panda girl. Like most of the boy sheepies on this forum, he hasn't gotten over that photo of her in her cheerleaders outfit. 
Marianne and the boys |
| You have done an amazing job with him Marianne....
hopefully one day he can be groomed without sedation.... |
| Good luck Marianne and Panda, too |
| Good luck to Panda!
Maybe they can slip a little Rescue Remedy into your water while you wait! |
| We'll be thinking of both of you on Tuesday!
The Gooch just had to get shaved again too!  They said he did much better than before...some day he won't be as wiggly! |
| I'm sorry you have to go through this each time. Hopefully it's just a mild sedative that they are giving him and it won't effect his immune system. |
| You've done such an amazing job with him Marianne. I really hope this is the last time he has to be sedated to be groomed. I can only imagine how happy you'll be when he lets you groom him and grow out his coat. |
| Marianne, when I had to have Maggie shaved after I got her, the first day she was on the table for 4 hours, and the decided to bring her back the following week because it was so stressful. We talked about anesthesia but instead they gave her a sedative which accomplished the needed relaxation without putting her to sleep. When I first got her she also had an ear infection and after trying to put ointment in her ear without her biting me, I solved the problem with one of those nylon muzzles. Strangely but fortunately, she didn't mind the muzzle at all, but I still had to hold her down to apply the ointment. Now she enjoys grooming, falls to sleep on the grooming table and especially likes me to clean the crud out of her eyes. Sounds like Panda has come a long way. |
| Hi Everyone,
Oh Yikes, sometimes when I reread my post later, it sounds like a kid wrote it. (Makes note to self to get more sleep.)
Thanks everyone for your well wishes! George, it was nice of you to share some of the things you went through with Maggie. Ironically, Panda hasn't minded me placing a muzzle on him when we have gone to the vets for immunizations and a few times to get his ears checked. Saying that however, it took three of us to hold him while he had it done. It was impossible for them to do the ear flush however, as he was struggling so much, so I still had to bring him back for full sedation so they could finally get the infection properly cleaned and it eventually cleared up. Panda is going to have full sedation again this time , as I would like them to check his teeth and clean his ears if needed at the same time. Not possible when Panda is awake and with a muzzle on. It means I can't be picky about his grooming as the vets office just shaves him right down. I also erred when I said he had mild dysplasia where it's actually moderate in both hips. So although I'm not keen on the full sedation it is best considering the circumstances although I'm always very concerned about it. The positive thing is they can give him a thorough medical at the same time that wouldn't be possible otherwise. It's just my boy is going to look nekid for a while. Marianne and the boys |
| Best wishes for Panda and pictures of the new hairdo.
Sheepie hugs for panda from Kelsey and Brie. |
| Marianne, I hope all went well for Panda. How did it go, by the way?
I'm afraid this may be the way to go for my baby Kobe. He doesn't like to be brushed, he still attacks it, and don't ever touch the insides of his ears. We can play with his ears on the outside, but that is as far as it goes. He has mats behind his ears and I know he won't let us deal with them. I was thinking of giving him Benedryl when I try to demat with cowboy magic. Does anyone have any thoughts on that? I just love him so much, I have finally learned his true birthday, 01/12/04, and a little bit more of his original family. He had a very horrible previous life, but he gives and receives love now. I just worry about him matting, getting more ear infections, and skin issues. Thanks for any input. |
| Hi Skiwitch,
I was really pleased with the final outcome of everything that was accomplished while he was under sedation. While it's more expensive than just taking him to the groomers as I have to pay the fee for sedation, the vets at the office I use are amazing. The vet agreed that sometimes if a dog is unusually stressed about having something done it's better to have them sedated. I'd check with your vet as you may not need to have Kobe fully sedated but perhaps a milder form, such as a local anestetic perhaps? I was a bit hesitant asking them to do this the first time but they were more than accomodating. Then we decided while he was under why not check everything we normally can't check when he's awake? That drives the price up a bit as I had numerous things I wanted checked or taken care of - yet overall I'm really pleased. The only thing is when you have your vet do it - you can't be picky regarding the groom job as they shave them right down. The good thing is you let their skin air out a bit if they have any sort of skin lesions or allergies. You can even have the ears really cleaned well and they do the ear hair plucking too. The only drawback was this time Panda seemed a bit sad the following two days after, which hadn't occurred before. You may want to try Nature's Remedy for calming Kobe down. Nature's Remedy is sold in most Health food stores as it's used for people as well as animals. Many members on here rave about how well it works. I can vouch for that too and it's made of natural substances. One of my other dogs Blue, had allergies and was on Benadryl which the vet okayed but I didn't think it was used as a calming effect but more to deal with the itching. Another way to "desensitize" Kobe as I've been doing with Panda (although it's a very slow progress with him) is just doing a little at a time. If you are both stressed at dealing with the mat - it may turn him off longer as a result. A little at a time..lots of praise - and end it on a positive note. Sometimes you have to admit defeat and just cut the mat off instead of trying to work through it as it's far too tangled. Best of luck to you and thanks for asking about Panda. :O) Marianne and the boys |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|