Pet emergencies are the worst thing ever and they always seem to happen at the most inconvenient times, like weekends when your regular vet is closed, or even overnight! As someone who has owned dogs for the last 16 years, I figured I'd put together a post about how you can be more prepared for when emergencies do happen.
Have a Plan
Have a Plan
Make a list of your primary veterinarians and any specialists and keep it on the fridge. This is helpful if you have a pet sitter or another family member that may need to reference it if you aren't around. Also make sure to include at least 3-4 emergency vets, listed from closest to furthest. You want to keep your options open and ever since COVID happened, it's hard to get in with a vet, even in emergencies so make sure you know your options. On the list include a phone number and address and the office hours.
Take Notes
If your pet isn't acting right, make sure to keep notes either on paper or in a note app on your phone. Include the dates and any behavior, symptoms, advice from vets, etc. This helps you keep a running journal and if you have to see multiple vets or specialists, it's so nice to have everything on record to give them instead of having to try to remember and recite everything that's happened thus far.
Get a Second Opinion
If you have an emergency and visit an emergency vet, make sure to follow up with your regular vet as soon as possible afterwards and if possible, get them in to be seen. Sometimes a second opinion can really help you feel better about everything going on.
Have an Emergency Supply Kit
You should always have some sort of emergency kit made up for whatever pets you own. You can research what kind of supplies you need based on what types of pets you have. Make sure to keep it up to date and replace anything that expires (medications, etc.). This can really help in the event of an emergency when you need to help your pet while on the way to the actual vet.
While emergencies can be scary, these four tips have really helped me be better prepared and actually handle the emergencies better when they happen. Do you do any of these already?
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love reading and responding to comments but in order to get my reply you must ensure you are NOT a no-reply blogger. If you are, here are some quick steps to change that!
1. Go to the home page of your Blogger account.
2. Select the drop down beside your name on the top right corner and choose Blogger Profile.
3. Select Edit Profile at the top right.
4. Select the Show My Email Address box.
5. Hit Save Profile.