Our vet visit today... Cassie didn't behave so well...
I took Cassie to the vet today for her rabies shot. First thing she does is growl at a woman who had kneeled down to pet her.
Once I brought her in, the vet told me her records indicated that she had to be muzzled. So I struggled with her to put the muzzle on. Then, while the vet is examining her, she is crying, her tail is stiff, and suddenly she PEES, a Lot. Right on the table. While he went to get some more towels she tries to bolt forward, all 60 lbs of her, and her claws cling onto the mat underneath her. She was like a giant cat.
He told me that it looks as if she has fear aggression, after I explained her history. Didn't surprise me. And it's a hard issue to deal with, semi costly, but that's another story.
Before we left, she growled at some of the people and other dogs. She calmed down significantly in the car, and curled up and licked my hand for a second. We were both exhausted when we got home..
The car thing sounds like a good idea!
Fortunately, for my pets and me, they all love going to the Vet's office. The cats don't like the container part, but they are as good as gold at and with the Vet. My dog can only think of treats, when she arrives at the office. They give out treats like it is Halloween, all the time. The animals love it. My cats also get a treat before they are examined and afterward. I think it is the treats that makes them happy to be there. My Vet is female and quite a loving person. She adores all the animals. I am lucky to have both good behaved pets and a good vet.
The drive-by Vet service sounds like a good idea for some animals. Of course, some visits you will need to take the pet all the way in.
My Vet has one room, totally off the beaten track from the other rooms. She also has and exit (two actually) that you can bring in an unhappy pet up/in and leave the same way. My pets come in the regular door, but I have seen many an unhappy pet leave through the private doors.
Maybe you could try a bit of medication to calm the doggie down before you take her to the vet? Some dogs don't do well with it, but it can't hurt to try.
I did have a cat that hated going to the Vet. From day one, he was a monster at the Vet's. When and if he had to be left there for teeth cleaning etc. I could hear him howling when I left and then would do the same when they went to retrieve him to put him in the container. It was embarrassing to me. He sounded so horrible that people in the waiting room would comment. Demian, the cat was a doll at home and moved and traveled with me from time to time. He lived to be 18 and came down with an illness that needed lots of blood work. The vet refused to deal with him each and every week, and I agreed! We finally put him down at a point where his health was failing miserably.
Have you tried talking to a good animal trainer? Maybe a few private lessons for you, not the dog, will do. My trainer always says he trains the people, not the dogs! LOL.
If your dog likes treats, maybe you could focus her on treats rather than the other things she hates. Just a thought.