Veterinary visits are incredibly important in protecting the health of your pet. However, veterinary visits can be stressful for your pet, which can cause them to act out. It can be particularly beneficial to ensure that you take the steps to prepare them for the veterinary visit to provide the most positive veterinary experience possible. Here are a few of the best tips regarding preparing your pet for a veterinary visit.

Make a List of Questions

It can be extremely useful to ensure that you prepare a list of questions prior to your visit. While this won’t necessarily help to prepare your pet for the visit, it will ensure that you get as much as possible out of the visit. You should ensure that you work with your veterinarian to learn about how to care for your pets at home. Whenever you have a question you want to ask your veterinarian, you should write it down. This will help to ensure that you don’t forget something during the visit. It can also help to ensure that your visit goes as smoothly as possible.

Work Out Excess Energy

You may want to consider working out excess energy in your pet prior to the veterinary visit. Take them for a brisk walk before leaving for the veterinarian or spend some time playing with them. This goes a long way toward reducing their stress and ensuring that they go into the appointment as relaxed as possible. When a pet is tired, they will have less energy leftover to be stressed. However, when a pet has a great deal of energy, they are more susceptible to becoming stressed and overwhelmed during their visit.

Use a Carrier

If your pet is small enough, you should consider using a carrier to bring them into the vet. This will help to protect them from other animals and prevent them from running away. In addition, you can spend some time helping them to become acclimated to the carrier before the appointment. Putting a familiar blanket and toy in the carrier with them can help provide an environment where they feel more comfortable. This can go a long way toward reducing the stress that is associated with a veterinary appointment.

Keep them Relaxed While Waiting

While you are in the waiting room, you will want to keep your pet as relaxed as possible. It can be tempting to let their excitement build, as they want to interact with all of the other pets around them. However, it is often most beneficial to keep them near you or even on your lap. Pet them and speak to them in a soft voice to help them stay relaxed. When they go into the appointment as relaxed as possible, they are far more likely to have a positive experience.

Regular Veterinary Visits

Annual visits can help to ensure that problems are caught in the early stages, as well as keep your pet in the best possible health. They can get their appropriate vaccinations and get a general check on their health and current condition. There are a great many benefits beyond this when you regularly bring your pet in for veterinary visits. When you regularly bring your pets in to see the vet, they will become accustomed to them. The more familiar they are with the veterinarian, the more comfortable they will be during the appointment. This can help to create a far more positive experience.

List of Medications

This is another step that is beneficial for you to take, rather than simply to prepare your pet for the visit. You should compile a list of everything that your pet consumes, including their medications, supplements, and the food that they regularly eat. This will help your veterinarian to identify where changes need to be made, as well as ensure that there will be no negative interactions between medications. This list can help to simplify the visit and minimize substantial issues. If it is easier, you may also be able to simply bring in the medications to your appointment. Explain to your veterinarian why they are on each medication or supplement. This helps to provide the best cohesive treatment plan for your pet.

Bring Treats

When you bring treats with you to your pet’s veterinary appointment, you can help to keep your pet occupied. Consider keeping them distracted by asking them to perform commands to earn treats. Familiar treats can also be given to the veterinarian to help them gain the trust of the pet. This can help to provide a far more positive, beneficial experience for your pet during their veterinary visit.

Accustom to Car Travel

Unless your veterinary is located within walking distance from your home, it will be important to ensure that you accustom your pet to car travel prior to the appointment. When they aren’t accustomed to car travel, it is highly likely that they will begin their visit already stressed out due to the drive. Ensure that you use safety precautions to keep both them and you safe during the drives when you get them accustomed to car travel. Use a safety harness, crate, or other tool to keep them contained and safe during the drive. When they go on drives more frequently, they will get used to it. Many pets even enjoy car rides! This will help to ensure that they remain far more comfortable once they arrive at the veterinary office.

Taking the steps to prepare your pet for their veterinary visit will go a long way toward ensuring the most positive experience possible. Our experienced team is happy to provide the various services that are necessary in keeping your pets happy and healthy. To learn more about the best steps to take to prepare your pet for their veterinary visit, contact our team at Borrett Animal Hospital today!

 

With the current events going on in the world, hiking is growing in popularity. It is a great activity for staying in shape and getting out of the house! When you take your dog hiking with you, it is incredibly important to take the extra steps to help keep them safe. Here are a few tips for keeping your dog safe while hiking.

Carefully Choose a Trail

Do your research before taking your dog on a hiking trail. Refrain from taking them anywhere dogs are prohibited. There are reasons that dogs may not be allowed in the area, including the potential of harming wildlife, dangerous water that they may drink, or watershed areas that house a community’s drinking water. Don’t bring your dog on a trail where they aren’t allowed, because there is a reason they aren’t allowed there. You should also ensure that you learn the rules in any area, such as leash laws and potential trail closures. Pick a trail that will be well-suited to your dog and try to avoid particularly rocky trails that can damage their paws.

Gauge their Fitness Level

Just like with how you would work your way up to an extremely difficult hike, you also need to condition your dog prior to doing these hikes. Work up to them so that your dog can build up their endurance and strength. Puppies, elderly dogs, overweight dogs, and dogs with flat noses should generally be kept to shorter hikes, where they are unlikely to overexert themselves. Pay attention to signs of extreme fatigue and be ready to cut the hike short if your dog seems to be struggling.

Keep Vaccines Up to Date

Dogs can potentially be exposed to many things in the wilderness, such as rabies or other conditions. It is critical to ensure that you keep your dogs up to date with their vaccinations before you ever take them hiking. You may also want to consider having them checked out by your veterinarian before the first hike and obtain regular examinations after.

Bring a First Aid Kit

When you are hiking, it can be tempting to only bring the bare minimum. However, it is crucial to bring a doggie first aid kit. This should include supplies like tweezers, bandages, and gauze. You may also want to include other products that can help to protect your pooch. Take care to bring pet specific products, rather than using your own on the dog. For example, using sunscreen made for humans can cause adverse reactions to your pet.

Keep Leashed Where Required

It is crucial to ensure that you are aware of any rules and regulations on a hiking trail. Always keep your dog leashed whenever required. Additionally, it is also courteous to keep them leashed on particularly busy trails. It is also important to keep them leashed at all times if they don’t listen particularly well or respond to your commands. You should also consider using a harness, especially while hiking. This harness will give you more control over them than a basic collar and it will also be much more comfortable for your dog.

Proper Training

Ensure that your dog knows some basic commands in order to keep them safe while hiking. At a minimum, if you are going to let them off the leash, they need to know the come and stay commands and respond to them consistently. You may also want to ensure that they respond to an emergency command where they drop whatever they are doing and immediately come back to you. Leave it is another important command for your dog before you take them hiking. This can prevent them from eating something harmful or chasing an animal while on the trail.

Bring Ample Food and Water

Pack ample food and water when you take your dog on a hike. Remember that you are packing for two. Estimate how much you need, then add a little more to be safe. Water is incredibly important for both of you to prevent dehydration. Keep in mind that your pet will also be burning more calories than usual while hiking, so they will require more food. A dog hiking backpack may enable them to carry some of their own stuff, which will lessen the burden on you. It is important to ensure that it doesn’t exceed more than about 10 or 15% of their entire body weight to prevent them from overstraining themselves.

Watch Them Carefully

Always watch your dog carefully to keep them safe while hiking. Don’t let them eat any plants along the trail, because they could potentially be poisonous. You should also keep them away from any untreated water. This water may contain harmful bacteria that can lead to illnesses and substantial problems.

Check the Weather

You should always check the weather prior to going on a hike. Be prepared to reschedule the hike or leave the dog at home if the weather is less than ideal. You shouldn’t hike if the weather is rainy, because it can increase the likelihood of slips and injuries. You should also avoid hiking when it is much too hot, like in the middle of the day. Learn the warning signs of dehydration in order to keep your dog safe while hiking. Some common warning signs of dehydration include a red tongue, drooling, pale gums, refusing to move, thick and sticky saliva, excessive panting, and fatigue. When they exhibit these signs, you should take a break immediately and give them water.

Proper Identification

Ensure that your dog can be identified if they become lost. Microchips are a great option for this, but at a minimum, they should be wearing a collar with your contact information. Confirm that the information is up to date and that you will be able to be contacted if your dog is found.

At Borrett Animal Hospital, we are dedicated to the health of your pets. It is critical to ensure that you follow the appropriate steps to keep your dog safe while hiking. To get more information about how to keep your dog safe while hiking, contact us at Borrett Animal Hospital today!

 

As the 4^th of July quickly approaches, you may be wondering how the holiday will impact your pet. The 4^th of July is a particularly dangerous holiday for pets, due to the hazardous substances used in fireworks, as well as the fear that fireworks often invoke in pets. In fact, many shelters state that July 5^th is their busiest day due to the number of pets that get lost on the 4^th of July. It is important to understand the ways that you can keep pets safe on the 4^th of July in order to prevent harm to your beloved pet. Here are a few of the best ways to keep pets safe on the 4^th of July.

Keep them Indoors

Even if your pet is used to being outdoors, it is important to keep them indoors over the 4^th of July. Otherwise, they can become frightened from fireworks and get loose from your yard. Many pets become lost over the 4^th of July. When you keep them indoors, you can help to ensure that they are in a safe, secure location. This can go a long way toward keeping them safe throughout the holiday.

Be Careful About Products you Use

If you’re having a BBQ outside, it is likely that your pet will want to be outside with you! Ensure that you always know where they are if this is the case. It is similarly important to never use products specifically designed for humans on your pets. Even if you think you are helping, spraying insect repellant that isn’t designed for dogs on your dog can cause a substantial amount of harm. The same thing applies to sunscreen. Products that are safe for humans can be toxic and dangerous for pets.

Keep them away from your Drinks

Always keep an eye on your drink and don’t put it anywhere that a pet may have access to it. Alcohol is toxic for pets. This includes beer! You should also refrain from giving your pets food from your plate. Many of the common 4^th of July foods, like onion blossoms, can be detrimental to your pet’s health. Consider keeping healthy treats on hand to help your pet feel like they are being included, without feeding them from your own plate!

Don’t Bring them to a Fireworks Display

Some people think that their pet will feel more at ease if they can see the source of the noise that is frightening them. This is rarely the case. They will often be just as stressed, even if they can see that the fireworks are causing the sound. In addition, bringing them to a fireworks display will cause them to be in a crowded, unfamiliar place, which can simply exacerbate their anxiety. If you are going out to a fireworks display, you should leave your pets at home, where they will be safe. Don’t think that you can just leave them in the car during the fireworks display, either. July is often the hottest time of the year, which can cause your dog to develop heat stroke and other similar problems.

Make Sure they Can Be Identified

Though you may have taken steps to keep your pet secured over the 4^th of July, it is still possible that they will find some way to escape. This can lead to pets becoming lost. It is crucial to ensure that your pet can be identified during this scenario. You may want to consider having them microchipped. You will also want to ensure that they are wearing a collar that has ID tags with your contact information. Make sure that you have a recent picture of them, in case you need to put up flyers.

Keep Away from Glowsticks

A glowstick necklace may certainly look cute on your pet, but you should never put this jewelry near them! They may chew on the glowstick or the glowstick might simply break, giving them access to the internal contents. The chemicals inside of glowsticks are toxic and need to be kept away from your animals.

Never Use Fireworks Around Them

Fireworks should never be used around pets or children. They can cause injury in individuals that don’t know to be careful around them. If you use fireworks around your pets, you can cause them to become injured in addition to being frightened.

Keep Track of Hazardous Substances

Even unlit fireworks can be dangerous for your pets! There are many chemicals and various substances around during the 4^th of July that can be toxic and dangerous for your pets. Keep them away from fireworks, matches, and lighter fluid.

Exercise Early in the Day

Take them for an extra walk earlier in the day on the 4^th of July. Just like with humans, exercise is a great way to reduce stress levels. If they are tired beforehand, it will be easier for them to relax when the 4^th of July festivities start up!

Turn on the TV

Only use this method if they are used to sound coming from the TV. Turning on the TV can help to muffle the more unfamiliar sound of the fireworks, without causing unnecessary anxiety. You may also use music to accomplish the same thing.

Signs that your Dog is Stressed from Fireworks

Learn the signs that your pet is feeling stressed from fireworks. This is extremely common in pets that have noise aversion or are particularly sensitive to sounds. Common signs of stress in pets include pacing, panting, shaking, whining, and trying to hide in more secluded locations.

Preparation can go a long way toward keeping your pet safe this 4^th of July! Don’t let your pet be added to the number of pets that become lost or injured during July 4^th festivities. Keep them inside and away from fireworks. To learn more about the best steps to take to keep pets safe over the 4^th of July, contact our experienced team at Borrett Animal Hospital today!