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| Image Source: Pixabay, Chihuahua Dog |
Both new and longtime pet owners adore their four-legged companions and take the necessary steps to ensure the well-being of their fur babies, including training, playing, feeding and taking them to the vet.
Talking about vet visits, most pet parents inadvertently end up making some basic mistakes, which they can easily avoid. Let us look at some of the most common blunders that pet owners make at the vet’s:
Mistake 1: Ignoring Preventive Care
Preventive care measures are necessary for fewer emergency vet visits. It includes ensuring that the vaccine/ other medical records of the pets are up-to-date, feeding them on time, keeping them hydrated, grooming them, training them, helping them get ample exercise and going for routine checkups.
Ignore these steps and there are chances that you will need to visit the vet more often than anticipated!
The Solution: If you are too busy to manage the schedule of your doggie, then leave all your worries behind with the dog app Barkily. This all-inclusive app is a “doggy day planner” with numerous features that will keep your beloved pet healthy and happy!
Mistake 2: Not Arriving on Time
The most common mistake pet parents make at the vet’s is arriving late. It gets worse when they don’t bother to inform the clinic. This not only creates a bad impression but also messes up the vet’s schedule, especially when they have back-to-back appointments.
The Solution: Stick to the time of your appointment and arrive at least 10-15 minutes before time. If you are unable to make it on the given time due to some unforeseen circumstances, immediately call and leave a message at the reception. This will help your vet manage the appointments and see whether they can accommodate your pet or postpone the appointment. Simple!
Mistake 3: Forgetting the Leash
Not keeping your pet on a leash at the vet’s is a rookie mistake that pet parents need to avoid. This holds true even when you have the most well behaved and well-trained pooch who doesn’t budge an inch without your command!
This is because you may know your pet’s temperament but not the staff at the clinic or fellow pet owners. The absence of a leash on your pet may make them feel uncomfortable and create issues. The situation gets out of hand when your pet is stressed and experiences high anxiety levels in the waiting room.
The Solution: Use a basic tether leash so that you can have better control of your pet (skip using the retractable ones). This will help you keep your fur baby close to you and keep them miles away from any untoward incidence!
Mistake 4: Hiding Your Pet’s Basic Traits
Every pet has a different disposition. They can be friendly, timid or just prefer staying aloof most of the time. While you may be familiar with your pet’s behavior, it is highly recommended that your vet knows it too. Say, for instance, if your pet is easily frightened at new places, then they can risk other pets by getting involved in a fight or get injured themselves while in the waiting room/ reception. No vet would want this to occur on their premises!
The Solution: Inform the vet about your pet’s basic nature beforehand, especially if you’re visiting them for the first time. This will help them chalk out a plan. A pet who’s a nervous wreck in new environments can be given the earliest slot for examination so that he/ she doesn’t have to wait for a long time in the unfamiliar waiting room. Similarly, a pet who is easily stressed on the examination table can be given a mock examination followed by a treat before going for the actual round of examination.
Mistake 5: Not Owning Up Your Mistake
If you’ve been feeding table scraps to your pet occasionally and all that human food has made him/ her sick, your vet needs to know that. They also need to learn about all the missed vaccine schedules, self-administered medications (especially if the medicines were meant for humans) and information about recent visits to dog park/ dog-boarding facility that has led to your doggy getting a disease.
The Solution: Not owning up to your gaffes can prove to be costly for you and your beloved pet. Give your vet full disclosure so that they can better diagnose your pet’s problems and provide an effective treatment. They will also help you out by counseling, so that you don’t repeat the inappropriate actions and risk the life of your pooch.
Mistake 6: Not Asking the Right Questions
How many times has it happened that your vet has given you a prescription with instructions but you’ve probably understood only half of it?
Don’t follow anything your vet has instructed blindly. You need to ask them all the relevant questions until and unless you’ve understood all their instructions thoroughly.
The Solution: Ask all your doubts and queries till you’re on the same page as your vet. For instance, if there is a medical term that you didn’t get the first time, don’t hesitate to ask them to clarify or explain in simpler terms. This will help you take better care of your furry friend!
Do these basic mistakes sound familiar to you? Have you been there and done that? Or have some more pointers that can be added to the list? Let us know in the comments!
About the Author:
Claire Ross is a PR Executive at Barkily, a ‘Doggy Day Planner’ mobile and web app. She is an ardent dog lover at heart, and mother to a Pug Almond, Golden Retriever Cooper and Yorkshire Terrier Belle. Rescued from severe adverse conditions, her house is now home to them. Ergo, she deeply connects with dogs and is out there to do all she can to the best of her ability. When not at Barkily, Claire loves to spend time baking waffles and swimming."
WOOF! This post was sponsored by Barkily! We were provided an app to review.
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