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Why is my dog anxious and chipped a tooth after her vet visit?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 1 year and 1 month old | 60 lbs

Dog got annual exam on Tues with a rabies shot, and the next day did not want to get in her cage. I had to leave and thought she was being stubborn so I put her in the cage and left. When I got home, she had broken out of the cage and scratched her face up in the process. She acted like she was terrified of everything like a remote or flashlight in our hands. I looked her over and notice her tooth was chipped. Is her tooth something to worry about? Could the rabies shot make her act like this?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on November 18th, 2016

Poor Skye! The rabies vaccine would not cause this behavior, but the stress of having her normal routine disrupted for the vet visit certainly could. It sounds like she's experiencing some separation anxiety (breaking out of her crate and injuring herself in the process, and is acting more anxious than usual about some other things as well. Since she chipped her tooth, I would recommend taking her back to the vet today to have this checked if possible - if the pulp cavity is exposed, the tooth may need to be extracted. Your vet can also prescribe some short-term anti-anxiety medication for Skye if needed, since it sounds like her anxiety is quite severe at this point. You may also want to try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure for the next several days to help reduce her anxiety.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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