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The best you can do is exude / project calm & peaceful emotions (frequency). I find that for the most part, my dogs are reflective of what's going on in my own heart / mind. If I'm stressed about a set of circumstances (such as those you describe), my ratties get amped up considerably more than if I just act matter-of-fact and speak in a calm voice. You might also want to pick up a "thunder shirt" for your rattie when you head into potentially stressful situations with her. They are a cloth shirt with some velcro straps that provide a snug fit for the dog (just like swaddling clothes do for an newborn). Most folks who have one use them with their dogs who get stressed during thunderstorms or fireworks. One of my girls would hide the moment a firework went off or a thurnderclap sounded over the home. Now she just hangs in the same spot (with me wherever I am) and shudders / shivers a bit. I would also highly recommend picking up an elizabethan collar to use when you need to mess with the dogs legs or paws & the dog clearly doesn't like anyone touching them. Groomers we've used in the past have put the collar on our one dog who is a pain in the ass when it comes to getting her nails clipped & ground. The collar--which eliminates (or severely restricts) their peripheral vision--really helps chill them out while they get those nails done.

Shop around, you can get them much less expensive than this: http://www.amazon.com/Thundershirt-Jacket-Anxiety-Large-Solid/dp/B0028QK6EY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452896407&sr=8-1&keywords=thundershirt+dogs

Here's the type of collar I'm talking about:
http://www.amazon.com/Recovery-Cone-E-Collar-Dogs-ForeYY/dp/B015NXN4WO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452896475&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=elizabethan+collar&psc=1

Double check with your vet...you may be able to administer a bit of children's liquid Benedryl before your appointment to take the edge off her before the gig. PLEASE double check! Since your gal is going to have to fast before the procedure, better to know if this may or may not be an option before the general anesthesia is administered. Your vet should be able to give you the proper dosage to give Milly based on her weight if the Benedryl is an option.

Hope this helps!

Hi - we also have an adopted rat terrier who had a lot of behavioral issues when we first adopted him (bark/lunge/growl at every stranger who entered the house, afraid of all big dogs, buses, etc).

when we got him he had multiple scars & lacerations, we don't know if it was from a human or another animal.

we tried a lot of different re-direction techniques, and in the end, what worked best was a tip from the last trainer - squirt him in the face. we got a little squirt bottle, filled it with water, and when he behaved aggressively towards people, we would just squirt him. he got the the message very quickly that we didn't want him to do that.

it took him about 6 months to play with a toy. we started with something he could chew on, just a leather ring...then soft toys, and he likes the shake them around like he is killing them :)

he really liked the squirrels in the tree soft toy - he could pull out the little squirrels and shake them around. http://www.amazon.com/Kyjen-PP01056-Hide-A-Squirrel-Pet-Large/dp/B0002I0O60

good luck!

here's the direct purchase link on Amazon; if you'd be willing to write a review I'd be happy to send you a complimentary copy! just PM me if interested. my beloved Rattie, Triscuit, has helped lots of pet parents!

Once you get it fit right, you can get it on and off with just one of those plastic pinch connectors. I will note, I sometimes have issues with it even with normal hand strength. Especially if she's excited and wiggling to go out. Maybe a harness for your use and get a Martingale neck collar for use at Mom's? Once fit, those can simply be put on over the head.

So cute! Is that the same bed as this one?