These days, going to the vet is very different. Our pet family recently had an unnerving experience that I wanted to share so that others don’t go through the same. Be sure that you’re doing what you can to protect your pet when they’re out of your sight. To protect the veterinary community, pets and their owners will be separated. But as with any new situation where new processes and procedures are implemented – things can get confusing pretty quickly. This includes your veterinarian office.
To protect the public and their staff, veterinary offices must follow strict procedures under COVID-19. These are the procedures:
- Make an appointment
- You can show up at the office, but your pet should stay in your car.
- Call the office to let them know you’ve arrived
- A vet tech will come to your vehicle to retrieve your pet
- The vet will examine your pet, and then call you to discuss the findings.
- Pay the front desk via phone
- Your pet is taken back by the veterinary staff to your home
Do you sound familiar?
A few weeks ago, Jady, our cat, had an emergency. Jady had swallowed some candy wrappers and then vomited it on Friday morning. Jady has never swallowed any strange objects – this was a first. I kept a very watchful eye on her and her appetite, energy level and bathroom habits were all normal all day, so I didn’t feel she needed to see the vet. Saturday was much of the same – completely normal behavior. Jady is now diabetic. It’s critically important that we keep her eating and drinking normally so that she doesn’t experience any adverse reactions to the insulin she gets twice a day. She could end up in a diabetic coma if she’s given insulin and not eating.
Jady began vomiting profusely at 5am on Sunday morning. I thought immediately of the candy wrapper she had thrown up a few days before and realized that any kind of obstruction in the intestines or bowels could be fatal. I thought she might have swallowed something else.
