My dog snaps. How to safely transport an aggressive dog to the vet?

Poor Rocky! I'm sorry to hear that he has this problem. To get a veterinary check-up, I would recommend calling your vet to discuss your concerns and make a plan for how to have him seen safely. This may involve having you train him to wear a muzzle at home, so that you can put this on before he arrives at the veterinary clinic. The veterinarian may prescribe some anti-anxiety medication for you to give prior to coming in, and he may also need injectable sedation once he arrives at the clinic so that he can be handled safely. For the future, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can help you put together a detailed training plan to work on his aggressive behavior. Most aggression towards strangers is fear-based, so this normally includes using positive reinforcement (food rewards, etc.) to help the dog learn to be more comfortable with the things that scare him. Punishment-based training (prong or choke collars, shock collars, etc.) are NEVER recommended for the treatment of aggression issues, as this does not address the underlying problem and has a high risk of making the aggression worse over time. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or ask your regular veterinarian where the nearest one is located.

Hi! Sounds like Max really needs to see someone. What we usually do at our clinic is this: as long as a pet comes in with a well fitted muzzle, we can usually help. Max will need to be sedated, to be treated. So, call ahead to your vet clinic, and let them know that Max needs help. They are under no obligation to treat him if he is truly dangerous. But, if he is able to wear a muzzle, that should be a big help to the staff.

It’s pretty common for dogs to start to show signs of fear towards strangers and at the vets office around 6-12 months of age, and I doubt the muzzle had anything to do with it. Biting without giving warning signs is scary behavior and it would be best to see a behaviorist to try to work on this. He absolutely should wear a muzzle at the vets and it may be a good idea to train him to wear a basket muzzle out in public to keep strangers safe. You can purchase a muzzle and put it on at home or in the car before arriving at the vets to reduce stress, and you may want to ask your vet about a sedative before the visit. Some dogs need heavy sedation for vaccines and exams to help prevent them from becoming even more fearful at the vets office. While a Petco vaccine clinic might be an option they would also need to use a muzzle and would not be able to prescribe sedation if necessary. https://bestfriends.org/resources/muzzles-tool-keep-everyone-safe

I can understand your concern. You can call around and forewarn them that your pet is aggressive with strangers. That way they will pair you up with the appropriate veterinarian, esepecially if you insist on this. The vet will try to assess your pet as best they can first. Howver, if Rusty is too aggressive the vet will probably recommend a mild sedative. You can even inquire about a pill sedative called Trazodone that you can give your pet 1-2 hrs before the next appt to help calm Rusty down enough for a proper exam. I hope this helps and best of luck to you and Rusty with your new vet. Take care.

I would recommend contacting a mobile veterinarian and see if they can come out to your house and work on her there. If she is too difficult to handle, you may need a veterinarian and technicians to safely grab her using restraining techniques / drugs to be able to get her the treatment she needs. You can even feed her treats with sedatives in them to get her. I would see if the mobile veterinarian can come out to start with. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It sounds like Muggs is bring quite seriously aggressive. Firstly you should have him checked by your vet for any medical reason that could explain his behaviour. Following that you need to go back to basics with his training and give him the confidence not be nervous. In a difficult situation like this I would highly recommend employing the service of an animal behaviourist. Your vet may be able to help by prescribing medications but it usually comes down to behaviour and training.

Benadryl can work but for aggressive dogs most likely not. I would recommend contacting your veterinarian to see if you can get a one time dose of a sedative so that the veterinarian can safely examine him. We allow for a one time single dose of a sedative in order to facilitate examination of aggressive / fearful dogs. I hope this helps!