Vet trips and anxiety

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Vet appointments probably cause most of us anxiety. Today I needed to make an appointment for four of my piggies and have come to realise that just making the appointment also is a trigger, for multiple reasons on top of the worry about the pigs.
Will I be able to see the vet of my choice? If not will an other vet have sufficient knowledge/listen to me/not tell me stuff I already know/let me have dog metacam? Will I be able to have an appointment in daylight hours? If not what if the car breaks down in the cold and dark? What if there are no appointments available for several days or a week and the pigs need meds sooner? What if it costs a fortune they don't get better? It is very exhausting.

So I rang the vets and the result is I have an appointment tomorrow with the vet of my choice at 3.30 Anxiety can really be such a waste of energy.

Jaffy, who saw the vet a few weeks ago for weight loss and quick breathing but checked out ok is having a revisit. I am now suspecting he may have arthritis as he has been chewing both his front legs and I never see him lying down.
Sunrise who will be seven this month or next and is currently my oldest piggy needs her old feet looking at and also assessing for arthritis.
Sweetpea has symptoms of some kind of bladder issue.
And finally Strawberry Moon needs a revisit and discussion as to how long to keep going with her. She is also coming up to seven, has arthritis and an abdominal mass the vet discovered a few months ago. She is not a candidate for surgery but is on metacam and eating well but is very boney and slowly losing weight week on week. I fear she must be nearing a tipping point and a hard decision may need to be made. I hate it so much when you don't know if you're letting go too soon but know that hanging on too long would be worse.

 

[VickiA]

I hear you!
Our vets have now set up an online booking system and to a certain extent that has helped me as I am able to see which vets are in on which days and then find a time that suits me. But before we had this facility I would be awake at night worrying about calling in the morning. Would there be any appointments that I could get to and would I be able to see the vets I had a rapport with.

Anxiety is exhausting. It steals your peace of mind and your energy. I find deep breathing using the 3 4 5 method helps me to reset my nervous system to some extent but I fully understand your feelings of anxiety. We love these little guys so much we want to do everything we possibly can for them. It’s a privilege and a responsibility being their slaves. Big hugs.

 

[Claire W]

I am exactly the same Just taking my pigs for nail trims causes me anxiety in case the nurse notices something that I haven’t. Anxiety is exhausting at the best of times without adding vet anxiety in to the mix.

One of my cats, Harrison had a thyroidectomy 5 weeks ago. I’ve convinced myself that he’s lost weight instead of gained so he’s off to the vets tomorrow to be weighed with the nurse. It’s causing me extreme anxiety as if he’s lost, it’ll mean a blood test with the vet at a later date and at £164, it’s an expense I could do without and then there’s the whole waiting for the results and what happens next etc etc

I hope your vet appointment goes well x

 

[piggieminder]

Whilst being glad I'm not alone, I am sorry you all feel like this too. I needed to phone today to get an appointment for Red and Brillo, they need more Metacam for arthritis and we can't have another repeat prescription without being seen. Every time I took a piggy to the vet last year they found something else wrong. I haven't phoned today I kept finding something else I was busy with! I've got to do it tomorrow or we will run out of Metacam this week.

 

[Merab]

Holding you in my thoughts

 

[rhymer]

Anxiety is horrible. I can't sit in a vet waiting room without feeling sick.
So fingers crossed and my thoughts are with you all.x

 

[Freela]

((HUGS.)) I honestly hate having to make any kind of appointment. And vet appointments are the worst because often you are anticipating bad news or thinking about past bad news. It's definitely nervewracking. ((HUGS.))

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

As I spend such a lot of time at the vets, with the various TEAS piggies, I am usually fine, especially as for most of them, it is just a routine dental. However, when Priya, my cat, was poorly, my stress levels were going through the roof. I tried to keep as calm as possible, as Priya doesn't cope well with vet visits and I didn't want her to pick up on my anxiety.

 

[Posyrose]

I can so relate. I suffer anxiety most of the time, without the added stress of a vet visit. I was so stressed out when Ziggy was ill before Christmas, they (understandably) didn't treat it as an emergency so I had to wait 24hrs and I was convinced that the vet would find some awful underlying cause for his upset digestion. Not forgetting the lesser, but still real, concern for my finances!

 

[piggieminder]

Finally made myself phone. I don't know why I get so nervous about it, all the receptionists are lovely and helpful there. I do have major anxiety about using phones though, I don't often phone family, they know they have to phone me to keep in touch!
We have an appointment for Monday, I couldn't get one sooner as I wanted to see the vet who is about to leave so we can say goodbye, she was brilliant with all our troubles last year. I've just about got enough Metacam until then, there's a 10ml just in case unopened bottle in the cupboard if the big bottle runs out. Next time I will have to see a new vet which will be another anxiety. I worry far more about these furry babies than I ever did over my human ones!

 

[Engel]

This is relatable on so many levels. You're not alone!

At the practice I use there were 2 receptionists that I knew and 3 vets which were great with the pigs. Now one of the receptionists has retired and one of the vets rarely visits the practice as they've moved. The new receptionist is lovely and really helpful but I'm still a trembling mess when I deal with her. The one vet I prefer to deal with in regard to the pigs isn't always there. I do prefer having the same vet for continuity but also because I worry that I won't get what I need or have repeated tests that keep coming back negative.

Mia has had an IC type flare this week which I normally treat with just upping the cystease, but I needed to break out the meloxicam this time. I'm running out of it but I worry that when I go to the vets they'll refuse to prescribe more.

 

[piggieminder]

My partner can't understand why I feel like this about the vets. He says I'm a customer, I pay them a fortune every year and pay their salaries. He thinks I should have my name painted on a parking space the £1000s I spend there a year!

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

I hear you!
Our vets have now set up an online booking system and to a certain extent that has helped me as I am able to see which vets are in on which days and then find a time that suits me. But before we had this facility I would be awake at night worrying about calling in the morning. Would there be any appointments that I could get to and would I be able to see the vets I had a rapport with.

Anxiety is exhausting. It steals your peace of mind and your energy. I find deep breathing using the 3 4 5 method helps me to reset my nervous system to some extent but I fully understand your feelings of anxiety. We love these little guys so much we want to do everything we possibly can for them. It’s a privilege and a responsibility being their slaves. Big hugs.

I agree, the breathing exercises can help. I've also started doing 10 minute mindfulness/meditations off YouTube everyday, which I think also help and are great for calm, slow breathing.

I am exactly the same Just taking my pigs for nail trims causes me anxiety in case the nurse notices something that I haven’t. Anxiety is exhausting at the best of times without adding vet anxiety in to the mix.

One of my cats, Harrison had a thyroidectomy 5 weeks ago. I’ve convinced myself that he’s lost weight instead of gained so he’s off to the vets tomorrow to be weighed with the nurse. It’s causing me extreme anxiety as if he’s lost, it’ll mean a blood test with the vet at a later date and at £164, it’s an expense I could do without and then there’s the whole waiting for the results and what happens next etc etc

I hope your vet appointment goes well x

I hope Harrison's weight check went well and he didn't need bloods. My RB cat Gingerbread was hyperthyroid (amoung other things) and was properly terrified of travelling, I used to sooo hate taking him to appointments.

My partner can't understand why I feel like this about the vets. He says I'm a customer, I pay them a fortune every year and pay their salaries. He thinks I should have my name painted on a parking space the £1000s I spend there a year!

I think the nervousness we feel about making the appointments is because we are already worrying about the piggy and feel overwhelmed by all the possible obstacles, whether real or imagined, to getting them the treatment we want. Yes we are customers but I think the fortune we may end up paying every year is more likely to add an other layer of stress than anything else! My piggy Sweetpea had to go back today today to have a bladderstone removed, so with her surgery, the appointments yesterday, some more metacam and a repeat prescription of heart meds for Pom Pom, I have spent over £600 Oddly enough I have felt much calmer today than yesterday despite Sweetpea having to go in for surgery, I think probably because I knew what I was dealing with and it was being dealt with promptly. It went well, she is still a bit zonked but is taking some syringe food now. Jaffy is trialing metcam for a couple of weeks. Strawberry Moon although thin, the vet said not worryingly thin so will happily be around a little while yet. Sunrise has moved into the house so her old feet can benefit from softer bedding and joined the ever growing Dodery and Dodgy herd, who all know each other as they were all part of the same big herd in the piggy shed but one-eyed Sunflower has seen her as a bit of a threat so has been throwing her weight around and there has been a bit of submissive squealing from Sunrise which makes me sad. I hope they sort themselves out quickly.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

As I spend such a lot of time at the vets, with the various TEAS piggies, I am usually fine, especially as for most of them, it is just a routine dental. However, when Priya, my cat, was poorly, my stress levels were going through the roof. I tried to keep as calm as possible, as Priya doesn't cope well with vet visits and I didn't want her to pick up on my anxiety.

Debbie, with the amount of vet visits you have to make caring for the sanctuary piggies I would be very worried about you if booking them in caused you anxiety attacks, I think you have enough to deal with without that!

 

[Claire W]

Thank you @Pound Shilling & Pig Harrison had gained a tiny bit of weight at his appointment. He was 3.9kg before his thyroidectomy and was 3.99kg at his last weigh in so the nurse said we’re heading in the right direction and he didn’t need to see the vet so no blood tested was needed.

I’m sorry that Gingerbread was hyperthyroid too and hated travelling. Thankfully Harrison isn’t too bad x

 

[piggieminder]

@Pound Shilling & Pig I hope Sweetpea gets over her operation quickly.
Yes I think the costs do add to the worry for me especially since I've had no income since February 2020. The bills were over £4,000 last year and 6 weeks into this year are already over £300. It didn't help last year that we had 5 piggies all sick at once, and every time we took one to the vet something else was found to be wrong. I'm losing confidence in my ability to look after them. We did discuss trying to find a cheaper vets last night but we went down that route before, we lost Spike, I am convinced due to wrong treatment. That vet decided she couldn't cope with Spike's in the end and referred us to where we go now.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

@piggieminder thank you, Sweetpea seems to be doing well, she didn't eat anything overnight but passed a few poops. She was given injectable anaesthetic including an opioid so that will have flattened her and suppressed appetite, etc but she looked bright this morning and took syringe food better and has since eaten some lettuce and had metacam and emeprid.
I understand what you mean about losing confidence but am sure you are an excellent piggy parent. I always question my care when someone gets poorly and think there must be something I could have noticed/done sooner/better/differently. It is because you care deeply for your piggies and look after them well, that you doubt yourself when things go wrong. I don't understand people who never question themselves and breeze things off as just "being a guinea pig" or just "old age" and don't try and do anything for them.