Vet Visits with my dog

My poor doggy gets terrified and starts to shake really hard when I take her to the vet. She used to be okay, but after we got her spayed she’s been scared. That experience, understandably traumatized her about going to the vet.

I feel terrible when I have to bring her in, she usually knows after one or two train stops that we are headed to the vet. It breaks my heart to feel her shaking and the way she looks at me like “why are you doing this to me?”

I wish there was a way for me to let her know that this is for her own good. Though honestly, I don’t think that would help much. I remember when I was a kid and I got sick, I didn’t think, “well, it’s okay, this is for my own good so these needles are just fine.” No, they still sucked. Heheh. 

I bring her in to trim her nails every few weeks which also sucks. We have tried to do it ourselves, but she fights us and we are afraid she’ll get hurt. We also have to bring her in regularly to express her anal glands, we also sort of tried to do this ourselves, but that was a very small effort before we gave up. Of course, there are then the regular vet visits for vaccines, illness, etc.

I hate to take her there because I know it scares her, but we really don’t have a choice here. If we don’t do these things, she will have health problems. So with a heavy heart I have to put my baby girl through this discomfort every few weeks. I try to plan everything to be done around the same time as to minimize the discomfort she goes through. We do the best we can for her. So how is your pet with the vet?