A dog at the vet wagging its tail through the pain while apparently “fully sedated” has melted hearts online.
In a viral video uploaded to TikTok by account vetproducts, pit bull Penny can be seen on an operating table following “an argument with her sibling.”
The clip, which can be seen here, showed one vet holding Penny’s mouth while she was being treated, with the camera soon panning to show her tail wagging.
Getty
“When you’re fully sedated, but your tail still works,” the caption on the video read.
Since being shared on November 1, the video has attracted more than 1.2 million views and an estimated 217,400 likes.
Newsweek has contacted vetproducts for comment via TikTok.
Vet’s View on Video
Dr. Joanna Woodnutt, a veterinarian and founder of the U.K.-based pet learning course Petlearnia, told Newsweek that while it was impossible to be sure why the dog’s tail was wagging without being present, there could be some confusion among viewers due to the term “fully sedated” being used.
“There are lots of levels of sedation — mild sedation that prevents pets from overreacting to fireworks, all the way through to deep sedation that’s almost a general anesthesia,” Woodnutt said.
“The difference really comes down to how well a dog can respond to a stimulus, usually a ‘noxious’ or painful stimulus, but in this video, an auditory one. An anesthetized dog cannot feel or respond to stimuli, while a sedated dog can, to varying extents depending on the depth of their sedation. But their reflexes in particular are still present in a sedated dog.”
She added: “In addition, the video shows two people talking to the dog. It may be that they’re doing this because they’ve noticed the tail wag and want to video it, but it’s more likely that this dog is being woken up from their sedation/anesthesia.”
“It’s common for vets and nurses to talk the dog around and provide stimuli like ear scratches to help the dog wake up after their procedure. Again, although this dog looks sleepy, he may be ‘on his way up’, and if he was sedated in the first place, he may even have had his reversal agent. We can’t see in the video whether he’s about to open his eyes or try to stand.”
Online Reaction To Video
A large number of people who commented on the post were curious about what “fully sedated” meant, while others believed the dog hopefully had lovely dreams.
TikTok user IcI6789 said: “She’s probably having the best good girl dreams right now.”
While me added: “I wouldn’t call this full sedation but her happiness showing through is definitely heartwarming.”
Jess Jacobsen commented: “I hope my vet treats my dog like this when I’m not around.”
Jai bug posted: “What if she’s doing that thing where she can hear, smell, and feel everything?”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.