Talking to Your Vet: Navigating The Appointment

Talking your pet to the veterinarian can often be a confusing experience. Sometimes it can also be nerve wracking or upsetting. Knowing how to communicate effectively with your vet can make the appointment routine easier for everyone and more informative for you.

Before your appointment:

Keep a written log of any behaviors that your pet is exhibiting that deviate from the norm. Write down any questions that you think of, no matter how silly they may sound, and bring this log with you to your appointment. Remembering everything that you wanted to ask is almost impossible once you're in the exam room.

If your pet is having any diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems bring a stool sample. It may be gross, but having a sample can be of incredible importance in diagnosing certain problems such as parasites. You only need a small amount, about the size of a quarter. Make sure that the sample is no more than 8 hours old.

At your appointment:

First and most importantly, never be afraid to ask questions! If you don't understand something or just want more information please ask. Veterinarians and their support staff love animals and it's their job to help you effectively care for them.

Before you see the vet a tech will take your pet's temperature, heart rate and respiration rate, this is called a TPR. At this time tell your tech if you need refills on any heart worm and/or flea and tick preventatives. You can also give the tech any fecal samples you've brought.

The temperature will be taken rectally.

The tech will also ask you some basic questions, like “Is your pet eating and drinking OK? Are they coughing or sneezing?” and “Are they having any vomiting or diarrhea?” They will also ask you what kind of food you are feeding your pet. The importance of this information can't be overemphasized. Food can be a cause of many different problems. As a vet tech I often heard the answers “That's my spouse's job” or “I get whatever is on sale.” Please do not give these answers. You should always know what brand and variety of food your pet is eating and their food should not be changed constantly. This is very bad for their overall health. Please know what your pet eats.

If your pet requires medication, don't leave until you understand what each medication does and it's dosing instructions. Certain meds, like steroids, can have very confusing dosing regimens. Anytime that medications are prescribed you will probably be asked to come back for a follow up appointment. Do keep this appointment! The vet wants to make sure that the medication has done its job. If a medication is very expensive ask if it can be filled at a regular pharmacy for a lower price. This can be the case with many common antibiotics. Your vet should have no problems writing you a prescription and your regular pharmacy will not think it's strange to fill a prescription for an animal. They do it all the time.

After your appointment:

Review the information that you have received and make sure that you understand and are comfortable with everything. If you have any questions, call your vet! That's what they are there for.

A Basic New Kitten Guide

Who doesn't love a kitten? They are mischievous, charming, little balls of fluff. If you've made the decision to bring a kitten into your family you will definitely need to be prepared!

Kittens have a propensity for getting into trouble, and they will continue getting into trouble as they become cats; unless you set them on the right track. Before you bring kitty home make a trip to the store. Here is your kitten shopping list: bowls, good quality kitten food, 2 uncovered litter boxes, clumping litter, litter scoop, 2 scratching posts, a tall cat tree, a few engaging cat toys, a collar and an ID tag.

You should know the litter box formula: 1 for each cat in your house plus 1. So for your new kitten you should have 2 litter boxes. Place one on the main floor of your home in a private area and place the other on another floor where your kitten will spend a lot of time. Show your kitten the location of the boxes and nature should take over.

Cat trees and scratching posts are very important for your cat. You won't want your kitty scratching the furniture or curtains, and declawing is very painful and traumatizing for your cat, so proper redirection of scratching instinct is paramount. Put a post in your living room and in any other rooms where there are items that may be fun for a cat to scratch on. Sprinkling cat nip on the posts will draw your cat's attention to items that you want them to use and encourage interaction.

Cats like to be high up to survey their surroundings and for safety. Make sure that your cat tree is tall enough to fulfill that need. Don't skimp on the height, 5 feet is often the minimum for a cat to feel safe. Shorter than that and they may not use it, and take to sitting on something that's off limits. If need be, use an end table with a larger surface area than the base of the tree to prop it up higher. Place the tree in front of a window for extra kitty fun!

Cats are very self sufficient, which can make them easy and ideal pets for a busy family. But, they are also intelligent, athletic hunters and will use your home as a playground to exercise their natural behaviors. This makes enrichment very important. You must be prepared to give your kitty an outlet for his energy and accept that there may be scratches on your furniture and litter tracked through your carpet.

Cats are amazing animals, they can be just as loyal as a dog and twice as funny. Enjoy your new friend, and most importantly, let your cat be a cat!

For info on choosing a veterinarian see the “Basic New Puppy Guide!”

A Basic New Puppy Guide

A New Puppy is an exciting and often daunting time. If you have never had a dog before, and this is your first puppy let me give you some advice.

Before bringing your new buddy home, you have some work to do. Pick up some high quality puppy food, a set of no spill bowls, a crate, a variety of toys (Note: Quantity does not equal variety, 3 or 4 is sufficient.), a leash and collar, poop bags, nail clippers, and something for chewing. These are bare necessities. Once you get your puppy settled you can get other things that fit your new routine like a dog bed, a harness or other walking aid, and other specialty products.

Now, you need to do another very important thing. One of the first places that you will take your new puppy is the vet. Having a vet that you trust and have a good rapport with is paramount. Don't be afraid to make a list of local vets and go interview them! A good place to start your search is looking for multi-doctor practices. Several doctors working together assures that they each have a reason to keep their medicine at its top level.

Other key points to look for when choosing a veterinarian are a quality website, a clean and modern facility (ask for a tour!), and customer volume. Talk to the other employees, receptionists and techs will give you different information and insight and help you to build a relationship with the practice before your new family member every sets food inside. This is an important choice, your vet could be there to care for your pet for his entire life!

Once your puppy is home, start potty training! Take him outside several times a day and give treats and praise when he goes. If he has an accident (he will) just ignore and clean it up. Dogs do not understand discipline, especially after the fact. They live in the moment and will not associate your frightening behavior with not tinkling on the carpet.

Now, take your puppy to your new vet friend and pick their brain! Ask every question that you can think of. A good vet will be more than happy to answer all of your questions and make sure that you are comfortable with vaccine and worming protocols. Pick your tech's brain too! They have a lot of tips and tricks for desensitizing your puppy to nail trims, ear cleans and more.  

Build a Betta Tank Fit For a Crowntail

Fish may not be the most cuddly pets, but they can be soothing and meditative. A beautifully lit and appointed fish tank can be a work of living art. American's have an obsession with what lives under the waves. There are television shows about building custom fish tanks, we have a myriad of huge public aquariums and parks like Sea World featuring giant ocean predators performing tricks for our amusement.

Many people choose to bring a piece of the sea into their home, but a fish tank can be a tricky proposition. Even a moderately sized fish tank can be expensive, with the larger ones being a downright fortune. Once the sticker shock wears off then you have the initial set up and daily upkeep to deal with. There's filter maintenance and temperature management and God help you if you get an algae bloom.

If you live in an apartment your lease might specify no fish tanks. Even if you own your own home, you might simply not have a space for a fishy sanctuary. To you I offer the best friend of college students, the humble Betta Fish. The correct name for these little beauties is The Siamese Fighting Fish because the males will defend their territory violently when necessary.

Everyone knows that Bettas can live in very small amounts of water, and in the wild they are sometimes found in fetid pools left over in partially dried rice patties. Now, because they can live in a fetid pool does not mean that they should. I do not recommend keeping your Betta in a tiny bowl, and definitely not in a vase.

The ideal setup for a Betta in my experience is a tank that you piece together yourself, not a prefab “Betta environment.” Choose a 4-5 gallon water tight rectangular container. I use a critter keeper type tank. Cover the bottom in an inch of aquarium gravel in the color of your choosing. Choose soft artificial plants to decorate and provide a perch for your fish. Bettas are a labyrinth fish, meaning that they take only some of their oxygen from the water, the rest they inhale from the air above and process through a labyrinth organ, much like a lung. You can even find a tank accessory that is a soft artificial leaf with a suction cup which can stick to the side of the tank. It is the perfect bed for a tired Betta.

Once you choose your décor fill your tank about 2/3 of the way full. You don't want so much water that your fish will drown, but you don't want him living in a puddle either. If you have the right plants for him to rest on you can give him more water to play in. Let the tank sit for a few hours to oxygenate. Agitating the water with a bubbler or even the sprayer from your sink can help the process. Add an appropriate amount of Betta water conditioner. This will counteract some of the additives in tap water that are OK for people but harmful to fish. It will also help to replenish your Betta's slime coat which will reduce its stress and protect it from outside parasites and chemicals.

Place a white or blue (The blue will make the colors of the tank pop) heat lamp over the tank and apply an adhesive thermometer to the inside of the tank. The temperature should stay around 80 to 85 degrees for a comfortable environment, but they can live in cooler temps. Now gently introduce your little buddy. Partially submerge your Betta's container in the new tank and allow the temperatures to equalize, then release him into his new home!

Feed your little dude with a high quality Betta pellet (Bettas are surface feeders and carnivores, therefore they need a specially blended diet that floats.) or if you're adventurous breed some brine shrimp and offer him live food. You should do a half water change every week to prevent algae and toxin build up. If you need to do a full water change remove your fish and clean the components in the sink. Then reintroduce your fish.

You should now have an easy, high quality set up for your beautiful little buddy. Bettas are intelligent, personality filled little guys. I have had Bettas live in excess of 5 years using this tank set up. Hopefully your new little friend will give you many years of calming enjoyment!