3 Ways to Impress Your Vet
As animal health professionals, veterinarians understand that pet ownership is a significant responsibility. We are pleased to help educate pet owners on the care needs of your pet and your role in allowing them to lead happier, healthier lives.
If you want to show off your fantastic pet care expertise, here is one doctor’s advice on 3 ways to impress your vet on your next visit:
1. Looking trim
With a greater percentage of our patients being overweight, it is a relief when we see a patient looking lean and fit!
I notice that these clients generally have a strict routine with their pet’s diet. Animals seem to do very well following daily routines. I believe it can lead to less stress and less whining when animals can expect their meal at regularly scheduled times.
Routine mealtimes also enable the owner to be in more control of caloric intake. Anything that is not eaten in the allotted mealtime should be picked up after 10 minutes. Any uneaten portion (if dry food) can go towards the next mealtime. Retrospective studies over many years show evidence that leaner dogs live longer lives. Let’s keep your pet around longer with a better quality of life!
2. So Fresh and So Clean
Who doesn’t like feeling fresh and clean? I love to see patients who are being well groomed by their owners. This is especially for those of us who own long-haired animals. I know the hard work it takes to keep hair from matting up, eyes from gunking up, and rear end’s from stinking up.
These are tasks that do not necessarily cost money but do require attention from an owner. When I see that these hygienic needs are being taken care of, it is a sign to me that this person loves their pet!
3. Pet accessories
It is important that your dog has a good fitting harness to enable us to walk them more easily. Neck collars are OK for a quick bathroom run but a harness provides much better support for most trips out of the house. Many dogs pull too much on their neck collars, especially in the clinic when they are often pulling against you. We do not like to see your pets strangle themselves! It makes me take notice when an owner has a good quality and well-fitting harness on their pet.
The leash you use is equally important. One concern I have is with retractable leashes. There are certain inventions that should have crashed and burned but for some reason keep perpetuating into our lives. Retractable leashes should have joined the ranks of the Flowbee (vacuum haircut), spray on hair, and “New Coke”, yet it is something we continue to see our clients use for their dogs. Retractable leashes are prone to causing injury to dogs and people. They also provide much less control over your pet compared to a regular leash. Just a regular, 3 to 6 foot nylon or leather leash is tried and true.
Now in regards to carriers – if you want to impress the veterinary staff right away, just please clean your pet’s carrier before putting them into it! That carrier may have just been sitting in the garage for 12 months. If you love your pet enough to bring them to the vet, then let’s not put Fluffy into a carrier with mold and a family lineage of spiders living in it. A veterinary visit can be scary enough for them! Let them ride to us in comfort with a fresh and clean carrier with a fresh towel/blanket.
I don’t mean to call anyone out or finger point in this blog post. I just wanted to share some of the simple trends I notice from good clients taking good care of their pets.
– Dr. Ryan Beizavi
Essex Middle River Veterinary Center provides medical and surgical care for cats and dogs at our animal hospital and veterinary clinic in Essex, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. Our services include preventive wellness care exams, vaccines, spays/neuters, and a variety of specialized care. Our state-of-the-art veterinary offices are conveniently located near I-695 where we see pets from Towson, Honeygo, White Marsh, and other neighboring Baltimore areas.