Pet Veterinary Safety – Be an Advocate for Your Pet

As you all know we have been exploring Pet Safety topics all month long in an effort to help you our readers, friends, and fans keep your pets happy and healthy. We hope we have given you some good ideas and given you some information that you might have forgotten or never knew about. Today I want to talk about Pet Veterinary Safety. It is a topic that doesn’t get much attention because well our vets go through years and years of schooling and training before they are set out into their world to help our pets stay healthy. Even though we might like to think that our super high vet bill for the x-ray of Chester’s stomach after he swallowed the rocks helped buy our vet a new vacation home. Vets today have a lot of expenses including their staff and equipment that have to be cover the cost of through the patients they see on a daily basis. They aren’t trying to fund the new boat or remodel their kitchen just because you walked in the door and need their help. More likely they are trying to pay off their loans from Vet School.

• Only you know your pet. You are with them day in and day out. You see what they look and act like on a regular basis so you need to be proactive and explain any issues to your vet so they can check it out and help your pet to the best of their ability.
• You are your pet’s advocate. It is your job to speak for your pet. So if you know your pet is on a multi-vitamin, or coat supplement, or glucosamine, or even heart worm medication make sure you mention it to your vet. Also let them know what food you are feeding your pet because all of those things should be taken into account in case of an illness and at least written into your pet’s file during their yearly or twice yearly visit.
• The fact that your pet doesn’t need vaccinations this year does not means you should skip out on their yearly visit. Our pets get much quicker then we do about 7 years to one of our years. That means a lot can happen in the course of a year that we might not realize because we see our pets every day. Let someone who is trained to spot issues visit with your pet on a regular basis so if somethign does happen like your pet getting sick or an accident occurring your vet is familiar with your pet when they are at their best so they have a starting point.
• Check the label on the Prescription. If your pet receives a prescription check the label to make sure it says the right thing. Check the label for dosage and how many times a day they should receive it. Have a question? Ask.
• If you read something online you would like implemented in your pets care talk to your vet about it. Just because you read it online does not mean it is the truth or something that should be used for your pet. Your vet most likely has read and knows about the studies you saw. There might be a reason he cannot offer a 3 year rabies vaccine (some states do not allow it) or he might have a reason he prefers not to use a certain medication to treat your pet’s illness. Talk to your vet but do it in a way that shows you want to be an advocate for your pet not a thorn in the vet’s side.
• If your pet is sick, take them to the vet. Speaking from first hand knowledge (I worked at an animal hospital) if your pet is sick don’t wait until 8:30pm when the vet closes at 9:00pm to call and say your dog has been throwing up all day. If your pet has been feeling under the weather all day on Sunday (but not in danger) you should be at the vet for their first appointment on Monday morning. Don’t wait until Thursday because it is a better fit for your schedule. Your pet is sick, take them to the vet so that they can begin to get better. Emergency surgery is best done with a full team of staff members not when they are walking out the door for the night. Everyone wants to help your pet feel better that is why they do what they do.
• If your pet displays the same symptoms every few months or on a regular basis speak to your vet about how you can treat them at home. If you are willing to take an active role in your pets health your vet will be more willing to teach you how to give sub-q fluids at home or to give you a few extra pills so that you can treat their ear infection the next time without the costly medical bills. Likely your vet will be happy that you want to help treat your pet the minute you recognize an issue and they will tell you what to look for or how to clean the area along with the medication etc.

Pet Veterinary Safety is all about being the very best advocate you can be for your pet when they are healthy and when they are sick.

Pet Veterinary Safety – How are you an advocate for your pet?