Well, it seems I may have issued a premature verdict on the Yeti. Sweet, gentle, and lovely at home and with my other Rover doggies. Then we went to the vet this past week. He was fine walking into the hospital, getting on the scale, etc. Then, we got into the room, the tech said hello briefly, and then as soon as the thermometer went into the butt, he got super startled and aggressive and panty. In total, we were there for an hour with people coming in and out. Eventually, we had to muzzle him and then they didn’t have the right fit… it was a disaster and a half. I mean, in all my years volunteering at shelters and being around dogs, I’ve never seen this level of aggression. Ok maybe a few times. But the Yeti is a strong mother-fucker. So we left and basically, nothing beyond listening to the heart was done. He let me swab his ears which have been smelly, so now we know he has a yeast infection in there.

We went home and I was frankly, emotionally destroyed. I mean, aggression is a tricky issue to handle. It’s not so much the specific scenario, but the unpredictability of it. Now maybe I should have noticed the signs: he was cowering, trying to get away to the corner of the room. He was fearful… so he was telling us he was scared. I dunno. It’s the tough love part inside me, where I’m not going to be inconvenienced with a dog who can’t handle being touched, you know? It sounds like a foolish, overly image conscious stance but I dunno. I just feel like the deal with a pet is this: I love you and give you a good life but you have to trust me enough to know I won’t hurt you. Granted, he’s only been with us for two weeks so maybe that trust bond was tested too soon. I don’t really know, but I guess part of the confusion surrounds him being previously owned. It’s not like I don’t know his history, right? He seemed totally well-loved and was acquired as a puppy, so where is this coming from?

The doc sent us home with ear flushes and drops, which have to be administered twice a day. So now I’m the bad guy at home and he runs off to hide under the bed. It’s neither funny nor cute, bc well, I take doggie meds very seriously and I’m not about to play this ridiculous game of chasing him down to do what’s good for him.

John says he doesn’t trust us now and we shouldn’t push him. I’m not going to coddle and baby the dog!! He has to get the treatment. Already, at three days, his ears are way better so after day 10, we can stop. See? This is why I could never be a human parent. I’m already like, “fuck you, you’re getting the shot/treatment. I don’t want to hear any crying about it.” I doubt this method works with any modern-day parent. And I don’t really know: it could make things with Bentley worse. With Remy and Martin, they were reluctant but eventually, they would just acquiesce and tolerate it. With Bentley, he’s much more stubborn and obviously, he’s bigger and stronger. The vet was visibly afraid when Bentley was acting up.

I think the other reason I got so down about this is because it’s just another case of you just never know. I mean, all those stories in the news about family dogs attacking their kids… I used to think those people were just oblivious or inexperienced or whatever. But I see now and actually, I’ve seen it elsewhere if I take a hard look. My vet friend– she had pit bulls growing up. Super sweet. Lived with cats. But there were multiple incidents where they tore into other dogs. There is that disconnect between what you yourself experience with them (they were so cuddly and friendly every time I saw them) and then what can happen in a split second. I had a neighbor once who said he and his girlfriend merged households and doggies. I’m not sure how long they were living together and then one day he came home and her boxer had killed his dog. So again, shit happens and you can never be totally sure. And that’s a new reminder/reality that I just have to keep in mind. I will not leave him alone unattended with my Rover clients. Carla the whippet goes into my office and then Bentley stays out.

But mainly, I’m just frustrated about the ear meds. I did all this reading on vet aggression after the incident. So many stories of dogs that are the gentlest, sweetest souls EXCEPT at the vet. One guy has it so strangers can touch the ears and paws and everything. No issues at all. Then, at the vet, a totally different beast.

On a separate note, you know my deal with buying meds/treatments through the vet. Again, I get it: they have a 24-hour brick and mortar facility. I’m willing to be some premium for their extra costs. And after that whole Bentley freak out ordeal, I just got whatever meds: flea/tick control, heartworm, ear flush, ear drops. I just wanted to get out of there pronto.

A few days later, I was just curious and checked online. For the same exact meds, vet was $120. Online was $85. Another one: vet was $120. Online was $100. Ear drops: $55 vs. $34. Come on, people. That is egregious. And I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, bc I saw this with Martin and his lactated ringers. The thing is, nowadays I have no hesitation having awkward conversations. I called up the pharmacist. Do you price match the online pet pharmacies? I know you have a facility and I’m ok to pay some premium, but like $100+ difference is a lot. She gave me some crap that bc the invoice was already charged, they can’t do a price adjustment but they can match prices in the future. So then I said, I haven’t opened the tablets. Can I return them then. Yes. So basically, I went in, returned, then re-bought. The lesson here? You HAVE to make the ask. Can you imagine how much people could save if they asked for the price match?

Of course, I took the opportunity to make the return visit a teaching moment for Bentley. We took him to the vet hospital again. He was totally fine: no anxiety in the front lobby, got on the weight scale, hung out. So the issue really is being in the room and feeling trapped then being approached by probing strangers. At least now we’ve narrowed the issue down some. Anyway, it’s a work in progress…

Like today. He’s already run under the bed a few times and I haven’t been able to do the ear flush or drops. I’m going to try again now. Wish me luck!