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A ‘happy’ Grey

Hello people, Mouse here.

I should have known better, when the Staff put on my party collar and lead, and took me into town. I should have guessed, when Mum led me around the corner instead of towards My favourite table at the café. The minute we entered the carpark at the V.E.T. (aka the Gates of Hell), I caught the smell and kept trying to turn us around. Too late. I was in, on the scales to be weighed, and then it was time to hurry up and wait.

Now, normally, this is when I start to get seriously stressed. I drool, I pant, I pace, and my heart goes into overdrive. Today… not so much. Mum had given me something a tiny bit funny-tasting just before we came out. I felt… calmer than usual. Yes, I panted a bit, yes, my heart was beating fast, but I wasn’t drooling or trying to beat down the door, and the other doggos there weren’t bothering me nearly so much.

I stood still for my C5, Lepto and Heartworm shots. I took the other stuff in the oral syringe like a champ. It was all strangely OK. I was a Good Boy.

Mum says I have to tell you about the stuff she gave me, since it does seem to have helped me a fair bit. She says she was prepared to dismiss it all as a bit woo-woo, but the evidence is pretty convincing in its favour.

So, let’s hear it for Martin & Pleasance Rest & Quiet Calm Formula, based on Bach floral remedies. Let’s say it’s like Rescue Remedy formulated for doggos, without the alcohol. 4 drops given either orally or in the water bowl. Drops straight in the mouth is a bit yuck but works fast, and I didn’t notice it at all in my water.

It helps to calm and soothe. Vet visits, thunderstorms, fireworks, car trips, noisy environments, strange places, that stuff. Worked for me, and what stress I did suffer resolved more quickly than usual as well. I was able to enjoy a puppacino afterwards, have a (very) large snack and a big drink of water, and now I’m retiring for a big snooze.

Tolly chillaxed, man.

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22 thoughts on “A ‘happy’ Grey”

  1. Marty K says:

    Glad your mum found something that worked for you, Mr. Mouse. I know that the V.E.T. can be scary for a pupper. (Fortunately for us, ours was Georgie’s Very Favorite Person in the World.) I’m sure yours was most impressed with your new collar-leash ensemble.

    I’m volunteering for our spca’s special vaccine clinic on Sunday, so I’d be grateful if you’d keep the puppers and kittehs in your thoughts so maybe they won’t be too scared. Our spca V.E.T. is such a nice lady who absolutely loves all animals. 💗

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    • Hi Miss Marty! Sure thing, I’ll send special pupper wishes to all the kids. The shots aren’t too bad, there’s only one of the three that’s really ouchy, and I didn’t even flinch for that one. Our vet is really nice, but it’s just the smells and sounds there that make me shiver. She did say she thought my collar and lead were very, very smart, so that made Mum happy!

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      • Marty K says:

        Thank you for your good thoughts, Mousiekins — they definitely helped. 💜 We had almost 120 dogs and cats come through in just 3 hours. It seemed to go really well. I think the special doggie and kitty treats might have had something to do with keeping most everyone relatively relaxed. We were also really lucky that most of the doggos and kittehs were very well-socialized — their staffs were too! 😉

        I’m proud of you for being such a brave boy with your vaccines and V.E.T. visit! I’m guessing that it might have been the Bordetella vaccine that felt a bit sting-y. We’re lucky that where we are, in addition to the injectable, vets have the option of giving either an oral or intranasal version of that vaccine.

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      • Mum says the V.E.T. told her it was the Lepto shot… I don’t know if that’s the same thing as what you’re talking about, but in any case, it wasn’t too bad. I’m really glad you had a good day with the doggos and kitties, and that everyone was well-behaved ∑:>

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  2. Sounds a lot like human’s Rescue Remedy which I can vouch as good stuff. Fortunately Deez sees the vet clinic as an opportunity to check out the toy basket! Which is good cos we’re just about to go into town to get his C3 vaccines.

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    • Hi Aunty Dale! Wish I was as stoic as Deez about these things. Mum thinks I must have had a bad time at the vet’s one time, and it’s made me afraid of the smells there. Our vet doesn’t have toys… maybe that’s something the Staff can suggest. Dad thinks I may be able to become a doggo blood donor. Mum’s not so sure, I’m not calm enough to lie still for the time it takes, and I bet my blood pressure would be through the roof… Wish Deez good luck with his shots for me, would you? 🐾

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    • Hi, Miss Jill! Well, it did the job, and the Staff are very pleased that I seem so chilled right now, compared with previous occasions. Mum thinks that if I’m now calmer every time I go, eventually it’ll lose its terrors for me. I dunno, does getting up close and very personal with a thermometer, closely followed by not one but three needles, ever lose its terror…? I dunno, time will tell 🐾

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  4. Well done Mouse – I’ve had a similar product at one time but for a different reason, I don’t really mind the vet. Mum says she’s never had a dog as stoical as me at vet time and never had one as hysterical as Flo.
    Stan 🐾

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    • Stan, mate, I don’t know how you do it. It’s the smell, and all the other dogs (and cats) in your face. I can’t stand it! Still, it didn’t seem to get to me so much this time, and Mum said I was being an Excellent Boy, so I felt I had to live up to expectation and stand like a rock for my shots. That last one was a bit of a stinger… Still, should be over for another year, all being well. Mouse 🐾

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  5. Going Batty in Wales says:

    Mostly we don’t mind the V.E.T. because they have nice treats and give us loads of fuss but it is good to know that if we are stressing there is something Mum can do.

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    • Mum says she doesn’t know if the exact same thing is available there, but she does know that Bach Rescue Remedy is also available in an alcohol-free pet version. It’s a fair bit more pricey, though… Personally, when I’m at the V.E.T. I can’t look a treat in the face, my stomach’s churning. Mind you, that changes 2 seconds after I’m out the door!

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  8. Mouse, I also have a problem with the medical professional rooms – and maybe I should get some human stress reliever. The mere thought of both the receptionist, the waiting room, has me in a lather…and I can’t find a comfy way to sit. Now even more problematic (well it was when we could be seen) as you have to be s/distanced, chairs clearly marked “do not sit here” and a little “pictogram” which a good many people do not seem to note!

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