10h ago

Pets hate the vet clinic and groomer because they smell the combined terror/anger of a thousand other animals who've been poked and prodded in that room

Dogs especially have an insane superpower of a nose, they surely smell the fear and even just regular body odour of all the previous animals who've come through there in the last week. I don't know if the cleaning protocol of even the most fastidiously-hygienic clinics could get rid of that 'doggy Holocaust train' smell. It puts me in mind of my own struggles with autistic sensory overload. It must be the equivalent of someone like me being walked through a door and out onto the stage at Wembley Stadium without anyone telling me what was about to happen. At least in my case, I'd see the crowd, whereas the dog only smells the ghosts of animals past and has to imagine what might have caused their pheromone bukakke.

The same goes for the vet/groomer themselves; they surely emit the screaming echos of slaughterhouse stank like a pealing church bell every second of the day. They are absorbing pure animal terror into their clothes and onto their skin like an adrenochrome-fiending Clinton.

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Tell me you never owned a golden retriever without telling me you never owned a golden retriever.

When my dog hears dogs barking on TV I always wonder what they're saying. The scene may involve the dog being aggressive or scared, but maybe they're actually yelling about the treats their trainer is bribing them with off camera

We have a vet open up recently that uses calming pheromones throughout and plenty of distractions for pets to make them feel comfortable. A lot of effort was put into pet psychology in the design of the offices.
- That may be a Fear Free clinic. If it isn't, that certification may be worth them looking into.
  
  Bingo. It absolutely is.

Unless you're my dog, who fucking loves going to the vet and groomer. He has zero survival instincts, though.
- Depression resistance +1000
  
  Oh 100%. He's 13 years old and still acts like a big, dumb puppy. Yellow labs/labs in general tend to be like that, though. Just happy with life, haha.

My cats don't mind the vet either. My one ragdoll they have trouble taking his heartbeat because he keeps purring and trying to be social
- I want your cat <3

My wife works at a certified Fear Free clinic. Customers are only allowed in the building when their animals are being put down. (A greeter goes out to retrieve animals from the cars and return them after the appointment.)
Animals are happy to be there, because it doesn't smell like fear any longer. There's no waiting room with other animals. Just the staff who are happy to see them.
It is a real game changer.
- This puts a lot of trust in the vets and vet staff, I don’t think I’d be comfortable with it. I definitely see the benefits but it seems like owners should accompany the pet to the visit, at least for the exam portion. It’s too much of an opportunity for good communication between the vet and the owner, especially since the pet can’t speak for themselves.
  
  Typically the owner is in their car outside so they can still inquire and be brought inside as needed.

I hate the hospital for the same reason. Nothing like the mixed smells of chlorhexidine and death in a cancer ward.
But as a human, I can at least rationalize being there on an intellectual level

So pets are scared of something because pets are scared of something?
- The olfactory equivalent of screams of pain echoing through the halls of a hospital.

17 comments