Posts Tagged ‘veterinarians Glen Carbon’
Questions For New Pet Owners To Ask Their Vet
Congratulations! Welcome to the world of pet ownership. This might have happened to you over the holiday season. As responsible pet owners, it is important to keep your pet healthy and a good way to do that is to develop a relationship with a veterinarian. As with a person choosing their own physician, it is important to find a veterinarian that meets their needs, as well as getting the right sense of education, experience and personality.
Before you meet with a potential veterinarian, learn as much about the practice as you can by reading the clinic’s website, search the vet’s Facebook or Twitter page and see what their clients are saying. Maybe look for testimonials and note any red flags that may present. It may be helpful to schedule a meeting with the veterinarian-not for an exam, but to see what chemistry the veterinarian has with your pet. And then take the information gathered and decide if maybe they might be a good fit for you.
A pet owner must consider the health of their pet and tailor questions to address any needs or conditions that he or she has, especially if your pet may need specialized care in the future. The owner needs to consider the veterinary clinic’s policies and make sure that they meet the owner’s criteria. As in almost every situation, communication is important. It is important that you can get in touch with your veterinarian when you need to. Make sure the practice and your specific vet have open lines of communication, and know all the channels you can use to contact them.
With that in mind, here are some possible questions that you may want to ask a new veterinarian.
- How many veterinarians are in the practice? Will you see the same veterinarian every time or do the doctors switch or rotate without notice?
- How far in advance does the practice typically schedule appointments?
- If you need same-day care, will the practice see you or refer you to an emergency veterinarian?
- What are the qualifications of the technical staff? If your pet needs a simple procedure can you see a tech or do you need an appointment with the main vet?
- If your pet has a specific disease or ailment, does the veterinarian have experience treating that condition?
- Are the veterinarians open to alternative treatments like chiropractic care or acupuncture?
- Does the practice offer emergency or after-hours care? If not, where would the practice send you?
- In case referral work is needed, where does the veterinarian send them?
- What is the best way to contact the veterinarian during the business day and after hours?
- Is the veterinarian willing to answer questions via email?
There are many good veterinarians in practice out there, so finding an appropriate one may take some time and extra research. But in the long run, the task may be less challenging and lead to fewer problems by taking time to find one that meets your criteria.
How Do I Know If My Pet Has Rodenticide Toxicity?
With the cold weather upon us, many other four-legged friends such as mice are taking up refuge in our houses trying to keep warm. In order to control this problem, many happen to go to our local hardware store and put out rodenticides. Unfortunately, several of our curious pets may venture upon the “mouse bait” and ingest it. This can cause serious problems which can include death if not noticed and proper treatment received.
There are several different rodenticides such as anticoagulants, bromethalin, and cholecalciferol that are used and they all attack different body systems. So it is important to know the active ingredient so that proper treatment can be implemented.
Signs of rodenticide toxicity do not show up for several days and sometimes are very subtle and unrecognized. The most common sign may be bloody saliva in your pets water bowl. If you suspect that your pet has ingested the poison, it is best to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Take the poison box with you. That way the veterinarian can see which product has been ingested and proper medications will be given. Your veterinarian will want to induce vomiting as soon as possible, including giving activated charcoal to reduce the absorption of it in the stomach. Other products such as Vitamin K, or lasix may be giving depending on the poison. Bloodwork and a urinalysis will be done to assist the veterinarian with the diagnosis and prognosis.
A quick and easy recipe to use for getting your dog to vomit would be to give your dog one to two slices of white bread and then give a mixture that consists of 3 tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide, and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Wait 10 minutes to see if your pet vomits. If it doesn’t repeat it again.
As the old adage says, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It really holds true here. To create a safer environment for your pet, prevent access to areas where you lay poisons for mice. Keep garage doors shut, cabinets closed, and lock the basement. Never put poison outside near your dog’s run, and should you find dead rodents, remove them immediately. Ingesting a poisoned mouse can be just as toxic as eating the poison from the trap.
If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact our office.
Tips For Taking Care of Your Aging Pet
Regular professional veterinary care is essential to the health of your older pet. Not since your pet was a puppy or kitten have regular check ups and vaccinations been so important. Preventive veterinary care can add years and quality to the life of your older pet. Consider yourself, your pet, and your veterinarian and staff a team whose main goal is to keep your pet happy, healthy and in a loving relationship with your for as long as possible.
Dogs and cats are living longer than ever and that phenomenon is directly related to the fact that today people take such good care of their animals. Important changes affecting 85% of pets today, with a focus on nutrition, rapidly advancing veterinary care and loving environments are responsible for the life expectancy of animals to be extended, in general, a five years longer across the board than was previously the norm. The human-animal bond is strong. Many people today take fantastic care of their pets and have educated themselves on the best protocols for these important friends. Every aspect of how to care for the family pet is considered in terms of diet, vacations, exercise, entertainment, grooming, wellness comfort, aging and more.
Three important aspects of the aging pet we consider are:
Diet: Obviously starting early is important. Two things can happen to the aging patient: becoming either over or under weight. It is easier to prevent a pet from being overweight than it is to diet him but we are successful at helping the committed owner who wants to help their pet lose weight. This involves selecting the correct snacks, as well as the appropriate food. The underweight and aging pet can be a bit more of a challenge and the underlying causes must be diagnosed but in most cases we can help clients maintain a healthy weight in the elderly pet. One of the most important aspects of diet in the geriatric pet is being aware of the changes going on with respect to his or her vital organs and metabolism and selecting the best diet, supplements, and snacks for his or her particular condition.
There are several prescription foods available that directly target the aging brain. We would be happy to discuss and make recommendations of the excellent choices that are out there.
Preventative Care: As you are aware, pets are very stoic in the face of considerable disease and one of the difficult aspects of care in veterinary medicine is the fact that we ofter do not see the pet until a disease process is very advanced. A well-thought out and followed preventative plan is a great way to minimize testing and monitoring and can offer tremendous insight to what is going on inside the pet. There are medications available that target the diseases and changes that adversely affect the older patient and we can guide you toward those after an evaluation that will tell us if your pet is in need of preventative care.
It is very comforting to pet owners when an elderly patient has a normal physical exam and consult, blood pressure, ECG, and urinalysis. We ask specific questions to discern if there are subtle changes in the animal that might lead us to want further diagnostics.
Exercise: Exercise should be maintained for the elderly patients. Did you know that 15 minutes 3 times per week of forced exercise will go a long way in maintaining a healthy metabolism in your friend? As with diet, exercise should be implemented at a young age and adjusted as the pet ages.
Cognitive function can be supported in the geriatric pet with specific supplements and there are medicines available if your friend is found to be in need. Antioxidants, healthy fats, and pain medications can keep the old aches and pains away just like us! Certain activities and ideas to encourage the older pet and suggestions to protect them, especially when he or she is alone, are available if your need them.
Older pets need regular veterinary care to prevent disease and/or diagnose it early in its course. Many veterinarians have special programs to monitor dogs in their later years of life. Good communications between the owner, dog and veterinarian can keep the pets healthy and make their senior years to be wonderful years. At the end of your pet’s life, your veterinarian can help you in making decisions, provide support, understand and share your grief and celebrate, with you, the life of your pet.
As always, the health of your pet is of utmost importance at our office. Please CONTACT US if you have any questions.