I have a 2-year-old Airedale Terrier named Spensur who weighs about 93 pounds. Big dog with no real manners, and we don't know everywhere he's been, he's a rescue. Trying to get him groomed, which should be done every couple months, has become an interesting project. One place after another has said no, they won't take him again, he doesn't cooperate and (just imagine!) nobody wants to get bitten.
The most recent groomer, Paul, called me after Spens had been at his place for about an hour last week, and told me to come get him, he couldn't get him into the washtub. I went in and tried to get him into the tub and also gave up. When a large dog growls or snarls at you, you just back off. Paul said well, maybe we could try again in a couple weeks, and maybe he'd give my dog half a Valium or something. I didn't like that idea, but we've got to get this beast cleaned up.
I called the vet, and explained the situation. Dr. Kramer said there's a "chill protocol." It's about four different meds, and you dose the dog once the night before grooming and once again, about an hour or two ahead of the appointment. So I got the prescriptions filled, and figured I'd test it one time before I took Spensur back to Paul. A cookie with peanut butter to disguise seven pills, plus a little cheese and a bit of turkey was the perfect contrivance, and the pills went right down.
The next morning, Spens was slow. He acted more like an old dog, not a puppy. I only gave him part of the second dose because I thought if I'd done the full protocol, he might not even get in the car by himself, and I wouldn't want to carry him. This was a Saturday. The drugs wore off slowly, and the dog seemed suspicious of me for most of the day, like, "Dad! What the hell was in that cookie?" I didn't like it. I left a message for the vet to call me, I had some questions.
You can count on a vet who practices in Chicago's North Shore suburbs to be pretty solicitous: they charge a lot more than makes any sense, and they want that business. Dr. Kramer listened carefully to my concerns, and ultimately suggested that the fine-tuning of the meds should consist of one less tablet of two drugs the night before, and then the full dose in the morning. I think he's right, and we'll probably do it that way in a couple weeks, to hopefully avoid the resentful attitude which might be a side effect of the meds wearing off. I really do not want Spensur to bite Paul, and he has to get groomed before he looks like a full-on, gnarly monster. So I'll try to reason with him, and explain the deal, and maybe get him less sensitive to somebody pulling on his facial hair or putting him in a washtub, before I take him back in.
Veterinarians are a lot like psychiatrists in that their solution to bad behavior is drugs. If dogs are well behaved, they can be easier to get along with and more lovable than some people. But they're also easier to drug and easier to kill when they behave badly.
Damn, I love this dog, and I don't want him to be afraid or upset, or to think that I don't respect him. I really want him to learn that the groomer is OK. I should be able to teach him that. The meds probably aren't very good for him, and it would break my heart to hurt him.
But like all the rest of us, he has to get presentable in society, and he can't bite the groomer.
I'd buy some homeopathic Chamomilla in a little blue tube, made by the Boiron company, at a health food store, Whole Foods or Amazon. Twist off the cap, then twist the bottle until one pellet falls into the cap. Pour it into a disposable cup with pure or filtered water and give Spensur maybe a teaspoon. If it's not possible to open his mouth, sprinkle it on his food. That might calm him down. For irritable dogs (or people) another homeopathic medicine in a blue tube, Nux vomica, might work just as well. I've used both on my family members. Homeopathy is such wonderful medicine. Spensur won't get mad at you for using it.
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