A visit to the vet

George has been chewing and licking his paws a lot and they look sore and inflamed.

I gave him a Trazodone in the morning of the appointment in addition to his normal daily meds.

Unfortunately, on our way out to the car we bumped into our neighbours which didn't get our journey off to the best start.

When we arrived at the vet, I phoned reception to explain again that George is reactive and to check whether it was safe to come in.

They helpfully advised the coast was clear and moved the clinic cat to the back area.

George entered hesitantly but curiously. He was wary of the two female receptionists/vet techs but had a sniff around.

He stepped on the scales without hesitation but something gave him a fright and he jumped off. I couldn't get him back on. He was very nervous.

In the end, I got on, reset the scale to zero and then picked him up. I'll go straight to that approach next time!

One of the staff commented that he was doing quite well. But once we'd been there a few minutes, he started reacting. When she walked away, he barked at her (he often barks at people or dogs walking away from him). Both staff stopped looking at him and he stopped.

We went through to the vet's room. George was very wary of the male vet. He kept barking when he moved around.

The vet couldn't examine him so we had to just talk through his symptoms. Given the season, the vet thought it could be an allergy and prescribed some medication to try.

They allowed me to wait in the vet room with George on my knee while another client was in reception.

The vet staff were incredibly understanding and I'm grateful for the accommodations they made. They could see he was very scared.

I can't help but feel disappointed with how much George struggled. The vet didn't even examine him but it was clearly too much.

It was perhaps so stark as we've had a couple of really good weeks. I'd naively thought George would not have struggled as much as he did. I had expected him to be nervous but thought he would have managed.

Whilst we waited for the coast to be clear so we could make our exit, it was the first time in a couple of months I've felt close to tears with George's situation. I haven't seen him so scared in a while. It made me realise we still have a long way to go.

I'm worried in general as the vet also wasn't able to do a full health check at his one year appointment. I understand the importance of regular checks and preventative care and I feel guilty that George isn't able to get the best care.

I'm terrified of what would happen in an emergency. I guess they would have to sedate him.

I'm considering muzzle training but am hesitant as George will still have the underlying fear. And I fear breaking our bond of trust if he is being forced into a scary situation.

I will ask our VB and trainer for advice on how I can ensure George receives adequate ongoing care. For now, back home for a quiet afternoon and a licki-mat and hoping the medication provides some relief.