From Fleas To Surgery Choosing A Good Vet

Adopting a pet is an exciting moment in a person’s life. In truth, many Americans rely upon pets not only for companionship, but for emotional support and in cases that involve therapy or assistance animals, much more. America is obsessed with pets — and in particular, dogs and cats. It’s believed that 46,300,000 households own dogs and 38,900,000 households own cats. Some of these animals are adopted from animal shelters or rescues, while others are bought from breeders. In turn, some animals are babies when adopted, while others are adults. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether you adopt a baby animal or a senior pet — they all need veterinary care, preferably beginning on day one. Veterinary services seem plentiful, but there’s a big difference between choosing a vet that really cares about what they’re doing and choosing the first vet that you find just because they’re the cheapest or closest option. Consider your veterinary options carefully — they can make a big difference in the life of your pet. With that being said, we’ll look into some of the factors you should take into consideration when choosing an animal hospital.

In The Beginning: Early Vet Care

While everyone should take their new pet to see a vet as soon as they adopt it, there is a difference between adopting a young animal and an adult animal in this regard. Most adult animals, if rescued from a reputable shelter or rescue, have been vaccinated and dewormed at the very least. A young animal, on the other hand, will probably have its beginning dewormings and vaccines taken care of, but not all of them. Either way, you need to know if your pet is dealing with any sort of medical conditions. Even when a reputable breeder provides certifications proving an animal’s health, you still need to be sure about what you’re dealing with as a pet owner. For that matter, this first appointment establishes a relationship between you and your pet’s vet — and lets the pet become familiar with the veterinarian. In fact, until a puppy or kitten is 16 weeks old you should bring it in for vaccines every three to four weeks. Many counties require pets to have certain vaccinations in order for them to be licensed. As a pet gets older, the frequency of these visits will decline — unless the pet is a senior or has certain medical conditions.

Fleas And Ticks: More Serious Than You’d Think

YOu may think that fleas and ticks are just minor annoyances — until your pet is suffering from them. Not only can these leave a pet in agony; they can spread to humans as well, an infest an entire home. Talk to your vet immediately about getting your pet on preventative medication. And if your pet does suffer from fleas and ticks, there are treatments available.

Veterinary Surgery: What To Look Out For

When choosing an animal hospital, you may want to make sure that, if necessary, your pet can have veterinary surgery options necessary in case of emergency. This way, your pet doesn’t have to be rushed to an unfamiliar hospital to have veterinary surgery. Of course, in some cases veterinary specialty centers are inevitable — this is why you still may want to be familiar with any specialty centers in your area. Your everyday vet may be able to recommend experts on certain types of veterinary surgery as well. Veterinary surgery can occur for a variety of reasons. It’s recommended that you have your pet spayed or neutered — while these surgeries are very simple and common, they still count. Other surgeries that vets commonly deal with include removing benign tumors, and for that matter dental surgery. Some vets also deal with more serious issues like cancer. Animals are like people — you don’t have to accept a pet’s demise just because they’ve been given a serious diagnosis. You would be amazed by the options available, and a good vet won’t give up easily.