Vet Dresses As Giant Mouse To Calm Nervous Rescue Dog
5 years ago 
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In a consultation worthy of a Monty Python sketch a vet at Davies Veterinary Specialists (Davies) has dressed up as a giant mouse to calm the nerves of a rescue dog with anxiety problems.
Rupert, a rescued Dalmatian needed specialist surgery but wasn’t keen on being examined so Mike Farrell, Orthopaedic Specialist at Davies, went the extra mile to make him feel at ease.
Owner Sonya Schiff from London thought Rupert might be more comfortable with the scent of home when he was admitted to the Veterinary Hospital in Hertfordshire, so she packed her furry mouse romper suit for her devoted pet to sleep on because it smelt of her and he loved it.
“When I adopted Rupert from Dogs Trust a couple of years back he had some quite serious guarding issues and aggression which we believe were pain associated,” explains Sonya. “I took lots of advice from Dogs Trust. It took a year for him to bond with me after his rehoming at which point he developed separation anxiety if I left him.”
Rupert was occasionally lame and hated going up any stairs. Sonya had him checked out by her local vet but Rupert had to wear a muzzle during the examination. He was very protective about his legs and showed signs of aggression if the vet tried to touch them. He was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament problems. Initially his condition was controlled with painkillers but 18 months later he needed surgery and was referred to Davies.
“I was really worried about him going into hospital and thought he might benefit from having the scent and sense of me with him,” recalls Sonya. “I thought the mouse romper suit, which I often wear at home to relax in would make a reassuring bed for him in the kennels.”
“Initially Rupert growled when I tried to examine him in my usual clothes,” continues Mike. “His owner was worried about his aggression towards strangers and how he would respond to being in hospital. Normally we don’t admit bedding from home but in this instance we thought it had the potential to help Rupert a lot.”
Ever committed to making his patients feel relaxed, Mike went one step further when he saw that Sonya had brought in a giant mouse outfit, with which Rupert was very familiar. He decided to see if Rupert would be less anxious when faced with a giant fluffy mouse rather than a scary vet so he donned the furry outfit before examining Rupert. The result, albeit hilarious, was highly effective. Mike was able to examine Rupert safely and subsequently the happy hound had surgery to treat a cruciate ligament rupture.
Monika Kafno, Hydrotherapist and dog behaviourist at the Davies Therapy and Fitness Centre explains why dogs tend to respond well to a familiar scent: “As dogs have a superior sense of smell and ability to smell between 10.000 and 100.000 times better than people, their brain processes information in a very short period of time, this triggers an association of the smell with particular experience/event/familiarity in their life.
“Based on experience, scent can influence canine behaviour. It will trigger either a feeling of comfort, safety, pleasure or in a negative aspect – anxiety, panic attack and fear that in some cases may lead to aggression. For example, a dog’s bedding or favourite toy brought into unfamiliar environment will have a calming and settling effect as it will be a scent associated with comfort and home life.”
Rupert’s owner Sonya is over the moon: “This just shows what creative vets can achieve,” she said. The loveliest part of this for me was the daily updates from Mike on email with photos attached. Mike is now SuperMike and adored on my Facebook page. Thanks everyone at Davies, especially Mike, for the care.... and the laughter!”
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