I rarely restrain patients anymore (maybe once a month or so?), however I am a surgery resident. Most specialists don't do a lot of restraining because they are either working at a referral practice (with plenty of techs to go around usually), or an academic institution (where you have students AND techs to restrain for you). GPs certainly still will have to restrain animals on a routine basis.
I am not in academia but I am in a referral practice that from an operational standpoint is very similar to academia.
I agree with everything DVMD and SocialStigma said, but I'd add one thing:
I may not restrain <as often> as a vet ...... but frequently, when I have to, it's because I'm the end of the line, responsible for whatever happens, and there's a reason I'm stepping in. So as a vet, you may get stuck with the tough ones; especially if your practice doesn't have a dog/cat whisperer.
Thank you
It's true. Ive been trying to be calm its probably anxiety
You being anxious will just make the situation worse because the animal will pick it up and feel even more strongly that there is reason to be afraid.
Drugs are your friend. If an animal is that difficult and dangerous to restrain, no one should be doing restraint unless the patient is drugged -- that animal needs sedation or anesthesia. Or someone's not restraining properly
In my opinion, getting bit 10 times in one's career is too often; I think if it's happening more than once every few years, it's too much - at least if you're working with pets. (OK, I guess it depends on how long your career is.)
Amen to all of that. Drugs are your friend - and they are the animal's friend. Obviously the primary reason we sedate an unmanageable patient is for our safety, but it's also so we can do a better exam, and it's for the patient's safety and emotional well-being. Everybody wins with appropriate sedation, barring some super rare adverse effect from the drugs.
I also agree that getting bit 10 times is too often. At least, as a generalized statement.
I also do most of my exams without restraint. Part of it is putting the animal at ease, and everyone has their own style. I am a floor sitter (so long as I feel it's safe). I don't bend down over the dog (how frightening for the patient!), and I almost never put them on a scary table. I also take what they give me - I never look at what hurts first, and if they don't really like their face examined, I leave it until last. If they hate their <whatever> being touched, I leave it alone until I have to. No sense burning bridges with the animal just because you feel some obligation to do your exam in precisely the same order every time no exceptions. I quite regularly get feedback from clients that they are surprised at the positive interaction and that their regular DVM has to wrangle their dog, or their dog hates the RDVM, or ... etc. The less wrangling you do with most patients, the better, so long as you recognize which ones are safe to approach that way. Think how you'd react if you went into your doctor and they promptly wrapped their arms around you and squeezed tight so you couldn't move, started randomly forcing your head and limbs this way and that, brutishly pulled your mouth open, etc. It's a wonder our patients are as well-behaved as they are.
One thing about a surgical residency ... you still will have to do exams. And remember - a pretty good percentage of them will be patients with very, very painful stifles.
The best thing you can do is a) don't push it - if they need sedation, they need it, b) learn to be calm - being nervous won't help you, and it will hurt you, c) pay really close attention to which techs are super good at restraint and which are just so-so, and then match them as needed to challenging animals.
And finally ... sometimes you just can't win. You think the animal is great and doesn't need sedation, and it's behaving well, and then bam - it snaps. If it's a once in a blue moon type of thing that happens with a tech who usually does an excellent job restraining .... it's just life. Don't go all guns hot on the tech - letting you get bit will be punishment enough for him/her if they actually know their job and usually do well. The techs to work with are the ones who routinely don't restrain in appropriate ways or with appropriate attention.
That's the problem. You'll never calm down if you try to be calm. You have to ALLOW yourself to be in a calm state, and "try" doesn't allow "calm."
Ok Mr. Myagi.