When it comes to a Pet Emergency, there may be no time to waste. Being prepared could be directly related to how quickly you can act when your pet is in crisis- as well as how they pull through the emergency.
Seven steps that you can take to prepare for an emergency in advance are:
- Know your vet’s number. Plug the number of your local emergency vet clinic into your phone to save time. Do it now.
- Become familiar with the vet’s location. There is no time like the present to do a dry run of visiting your emergency vet’s location. First, get directions to the clinic and then practice, which will also help you identify how long it will take to get help for your pet in case of an emergency.
- Jot down your vet’s info. Make sure to keep your vet’s contact information handy and accessible. Have the family add it to their cell phone contacts; write it down and post near the landline phone at home, too.
- Practice using a muzzle. When pets are in pain or injured, they can become aggressive and may bite. It is helpful to know how to muzzle and restrain your pet, which can prevent biting when they are being transported and treated during a crisis. If your pet is accustomed to trying on the muzzle, it may be a bit easier during a real emergency situation.
- Put poison control in your phone. The emergency number for poison control 888-426-4435. Go ahead and plug this number into your cell phone and keep it handy.
- Stop bleeding with pressure. Take time to learn how to stop bleeding using pressure on the wound. It is similar to how you would apply pressure to stop bleeding in a human; watch YouTube tutorials for a quick lesson in case your pet needs you to act quickly.
- Learn how to perform CPR. It is a prudent idea to also learn how to perform CPR on a pet. Again, you can visit online videos but there may also be some classes offered in your area.
It also makes sense to be prepared regarding a method of payment and insurance documentation, if applicable; you will need to address these issues when visiting the vet or hospital, so make sure the information is accessible and available readily. When time is of the essence, you won’t want to have to hunt for these mandatory items or possibly delay the treatment of your pet.
Prepare yourself for the worst with these seven tips and give your pet a better chance of moving past an emergency situation. When your pet is in crisis, contact the new, state of the art Emergency Vet and Surgery center in Columbia, SC, CVETS. CVETS provides emergency services for pets across the region widely; call to learn more.
