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Not happy :(


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ShihTzusAreCute

As you know, Lexie's had some health problems this past weeks.My greatest comfort came from the fact that she was still playful and by all appearances happy. Well not anymore.She received two shots today at the vet(antibiotic and vitamis) and they hurt pretty badly. Keep in mind she's had eyedrops in her eyes for about a week(she hates it when you wipe her healthy eyes, so she hated the drops even more), she's been force fed two pills a day for the past two weeks(what else are you going to do? sometimes we were successful in hiding them in snacks) and now, these shots.Plus all the trips to the vet-probably double the amount she's had in her lifetime before now. And an ultrasound. And palpations and other physical examinations. That's a lot. And she's finally showing signs.She seems to distrust us and she refuses to go outside-I think she believes we're taking her back to the vet and doesn't even enjoy her snacks anymore.She tries to hide around the house. She is not in pain, we've watched for all signs she is just a scared dog at this point. After everything she's been through I can understand. Has anyone ever experienced this with their paw? What can we do to make her feel safe? Can we even do that while we're still taking her for shots every day? This is why I'm now desperate to get her the one damn toy she truly loves but at this point I don't think it would help. Any advice?

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Sophie's Haven

Bless our little Lexie.......she is stressing. My only thought is make the trip to the vet end with a reward.......like take her to a fun place after the vet trip......to the park....or a pet store where she can go in with you................I take my guys to McDonalds for a plain kiddy burger.....they forget all about the trip to the vets. Or if you have a park setting where she can walk for a while and take a blanket and sit down with her and give her some of her favorite treats from home and make it Lexie time.....make like a picnic. Plus take her out for a ride on days she does not go to the vet.......they learn quick to relate what goes with what!!!!! Hugs to our sweet girl!!!!!!

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Pawz4me

I would carry on with your normal routine as much as possible. I wouldn't coddle her. A little extra treat or petting or a new toy is fine, but don't go overboard. If there's some type of play she particularly enjoys then it would be fine to do more of that -- chasing a ball, a little tug of war, an extra walk or two if the weather is nice enough. The extra exercise and that type of extra attention will likely do her good.

It's possible that you feel more anxious/stressed/worried about her health issues than she does, and she's picking up on your feelings and reacting to them. In my experience if you approach medicating a dog (in whatever form that takes -- drops, pills, shots, etc.) as no big deal, then for most dogs it really isn't a big deal. They pick up on our vibe.

Vet trips are a little more difficult, because those really can be a bit stressful for dogs no matter what you do. But again, all you can do is treat the vet visits as no big deal.

Pay attention to your breathing and heart rate when you're taking her to the vet or medicating her. Do you tense up? Hold your breath or take quick, shallow breaths? They pick up on that stuff a LOT more than many people would believe.

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PipsMom

Poor Lexie. This has to be so hard on your Roxana.

I have no advice... And that breaks my heart that I can't help.

Hoping you get some good advice soon to help her get through the no trust issue. ....It's bound to get worse and I see why your reaching out now to minimise the damage.

Sending you both,

((((Hugs))))

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Missysmom

Oh Roxana I am so sorry to hear this, poor Lexie. I feel for both of you and know how you feel. It's so heartbreaking when you can't make it better for them.

Missy has been to the vet so much for her eye she refuses to walk in and hides under the bench at the vet. I even take her favorite treats and she spit them back out last time...

Does your vet have any treats there? I was amazed the last visit our Vet actually gave her a treat (one of theirs) and she ate it! but spit my treat at me... ;( So that might help if they do have different treats and can give her one, it helped build Missy's trust with them a little anyway.

And we did take her for a treat afterwards to the store and got her a toy. That did take her mind off it a bit too, so maybe she can go with you to get her toy?

We've also started making special trips, even if she just rides with us to drop the mail or do errands, just so it's someplace different than the vet. It is starting to help but of course then we have to go back to the vet and it sorta starts all over... but I really do think in the long run it will help. Please keep us posted.

You and Lexie are in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs from Missy and me.

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ShihTzusAreCute

Thanks everyone for your great advice.Unfortunately I had to leave for college today but my parents are giving her all the attention she needs.I will tell them to offer her trips after the vet and take her straight for her walk after the vet.She loves playing in the park where we usually walk her. I think she's just had enough of this and also, her shots are a bit painful I think so she may also be sore(altough she is running around once we convince her to go outside, but then I read that dogs may run around even if they are sore) and she smacks her lips(which I heard is a sign of anxiety) plus everything I mentioned above. I hate being away when she's sick but we all have to do what we have to do and she's better taken care of at home, I wouldn't have time to give her my full attention here at college.I'll see her soon though.

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missy dawn

we have went through this with Missy.she has been to the vet and specialist more so than the rest(skin,allergy,leg surgery).and she also was taking shots several times a week,now its at least once every 3 weeks.shes little so its hard to find a good spot on her hip for the needle to go in.sometimes when I say lets go bye bye,i have often felt like shes thinking "well here we go again"...it does make me feel sorry for her.Eventually she will act with trust again,when everything kinda goes back to normal.

sheila-shih tzu dreamer

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Roxana, I'm sorry you and Lexie are going through this. I think that if you try to keep things are normal as possible it WILL make it easier on Lexie: dogs are so sensitive to our feelings they pick-up on every little thing and often if we are upset that makes them more-so. We will keep you both in our prayers.

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ShihTzusAreCute

Roxana, I'm sorry you and Lexie are going through this. I think that if you try to keep things are normal as possible it WILL make it easier on Lexie: dogs are so sensitive to our feelings they pick-up on every little thing and often if we are upset that makes them more-so. We will keep you both in our prayers.

This reminds me that I forgot to answer everyone else's question: Yes I was nervous/sighed a lot/talked in a worried voice/panicked around Lexie. My parents did a better job. They are trying to mantain Lexie's routine right now and I do believe it is helping because she acts normal most of the day and only gets upset after they get back from the vet: she sulks and refuses to eat her dinner and doesn't want cuddles or treats or toys.I think if we keep this up(keeping her schedule, taking her for a walk after vet visits) there's a good chance things will be ok. She has 3 more days of treatment left and then hopefully in a few weeks she'll completely forget this thing happened.I'll take her on one of her favourite walks that includes passing by a particular petstore( that's next to a great park) and always going inside to get her a treat :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
Marlen

Poor baby girl! She's stressed a lot but I agree with anyone else ;) getting her to go out to do some fun stuff or combining vet visits with fun activities will help a lot! :D We'll be keeping you in our thoughts and try to take a deep breath and relax. I'm sure Lexie will do just fine, she's an awesome girl ;)

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