By: Dr. Anne Chauvet
Sarasota is one of the top vacation and retirement towns in the United States. It is also a very pet friendly town. Like people, pets can have urgent medical needs and none of us wish to visit an ER, for ourselves or out pets.
Times have changed in veterinary medicine. Veterinary clinics often close on Wednesdays and Sundays. Many only do half days on Saturdays. Few to none are open in the evenings and rare are those who take their own emergencies. The need of animal care is ever so increasing and the almost ninety veterinary clinics in our area have brought the need for more emergency clinics. About ten years ago, there was only one emergency clinic for Sarasota and Manatee counties and now there are at least five.
Emergency veterinary clinics or hospitals have experienced emergency doctors and veterinary technicians on 24/7 to help your pet. Some even have specialists available for more advanced care. For example, at CriticalVetCare, Dr. Chauvet is available 24/7 for neurology and neurosurgery cases, for ultrasounds, other surgeries if needed, MRI and CT scan as needed, endoscopies and much more. Most ER doctors are trained to a higher level of care. Emergency clinics are now equipped with state-of-the-art technology to provide the best possible care for your pets. At CriticalVetCare we take patient care very seriously and have all the necessary emergency care tools such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy and acute dialysis if needed.
After the ER visit or the specialist consultation, your veterinarian is updated. Sometimes we even call them on their cell phone to ensure a complete follow up. Your pet matters and the continuity of great care is our number one goal.
As glad as we are to be here for your pet, we hope to help you avoid visiting us or other ER rooms.
Here are a few guidelines for you to prevent a visit at the ER.
Leashes are a great way to keep your dog safe. Do not use extendable leashes. You may not be able to hold your dog back fast enough and even a well trained dog may not resist a squirrel or a ball on the street. “HBC” are common ER cases.And do not play with your dog off leash in an non fenced space.
Pets love to play with things and eat things. Medications can be colorful and tasty to them. However they can also kill them. Keep all medications and food forbidden to pets out of reach: grapes, chocolate and more.
Masses grow on pets. Teeth build tartar. Over time, these can become complex problems of ruptured masses and bacteria seeding in the blood (septicemia). That can get you in the ER pretty quickly. So get routine physicals at your vet. I recommend once a year for a dog up to four years old and twice a year after. Make sure you get at least yearly blood work and radiographs done.
Our holiday seasons are a great time to reach out to friends, see family. We wrap presents and receive gifts. Our pets are part of this. They can eat wrapper, toys, string and these can lead to obstructions in their bowel.
So make sure you keep all objects that are not designed for your pets to play with out of their reach.
Keep pets out of your garbage and mulch pile. Garbage ingestion can lead to pancreatitis and that can be a 3-5 day hospital stay. Plants in our yards are beautiful and indoor plants decorate but many lead to toxicities: poinsettias for example, and lilies in cats.
The heat of Florida can kill. No pet is safe outdoors or in the car or in any non well ventilated or air conditioned space for more than about 2-5 minutes. Supervise your pet and make sure that you give access to water and shade at all times. Heat stroke is a common problem in the ERs of Florida particularly in the short faced dogs that have compromised airways.
Preventative medicine such as heartworm and flea medication is just that: preventative. Take it seriously. Some of the most common ER visits are respiratory distress and skin problems. Fleas can be the culprit. Ticks can cause joint and brain problems. So do not skip monthly meds. They may be expensive but when you consider an average ER visit to cost from $250-500 and up, prevention is cheap.
Microchip your pet even if it is always living indoors or always goes outdoors on a leash. You pet may be in trouble and lost. Without a microchip, the veterinarians and ERs cannot identify your pet. This is particularly important when traveling with your pet.
Get your pet from a reputable person or company. Puppies and kitties are cute but without proper housing and care, they can have you in the emergency room within the first week of ownership. Whether parvovirus, or an accident between kids and pets, or other, puppies and kitties frequent emergency rooms often and early. Learn about the breed you are adopting and be savvy on the problems they can have. Example: Dachshunds can herniate discs in their back. Are you ready for back surgery and the cost of this procedure? Be responsible and do not take on more than you can afford.
Pet ownership is fun and pets are known to reduce our blood pressure and improve our quality of life and longevity. However that visit to the ER can significantly affect your budget.
So use common sense and treat your pets as the family members they are.
For more information about emergencies in pets and about emergency clinics, or to visit CriticalVetCare, please call 941-929-1818 or visit www.criticalvetcare.com.