Vet’s Clever Strategy: Interrupting Dog’s Exam with a Cat
Prince, the wonderfully friendly Rottweiler, has always seen visits to the vet as his chance to make new friends—be they human or animal. Despite his large stature, he’s described by his mom, Linnay Pavlovich, as a gentle giant who’s extremely sociable. “He’s truly a softie at heart,” she told The Dodo.
When it comes to his vet visits, Prince excels at greeting the staff, curiously exploring the clinic, and obediently sitting for exams. The only hitch in these otherwise joyous visits is his fear of needles. It disrupts his otherwise unworried demeanor around sharp objects and means the staff have had to get creative.
Prince’s aversion to shots stems solely from the needles, so Pavlovich and the veterinary staff have been on a mission to find ways to ease his fears. During one of their brainstorming sessions, Pavlovich mentioned her dog’s fondness for cats, a particular fascination that has offered surprising promise.
“Prince has always been fascinated by cats,” said Pavlovich. “Whenever we’d visit our local pet store, he was so interested in their store cats that staff would humor us by including the cats in his weighing ritual. It became a bit of a running joke because nothing else grabs his attention quite like a cat does.”
During a recent vet visit, serendipity struck when one of the clinic’s regular cat patients showed up. Armed with Prince’s cat-centric curiosity, the veterinary team and Pavlovich decided to give the attempt a shot—pun intended. To everyone’s delight, the cat managed to captivate Prince’s attention, making him oblivious to the proceedings of a practice shot.
The experiment’s success was clear as Prince, typically alert to the sensations of his vet visit, was so mesmerized by the cat that he barely noticed anything else, an outcome contrary to his usual vet experiences. This captivating distraction technique worked so well, there’s hope it will be a dependable strategy for future visits.
Pavlovich shared the video of Prince’s interaction with his feline friend online, quickly resonating with viewers everywhere. The consensus was unanimous: both the idea and Prince himself were highly commendable. “People have called our veterinarian a genius, even suggesting she deserves a raise and jokingly proposing that every doctor’s office should consider offering a cat service before giving shots,” Pavlovich recounted.
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